Recently a group of young people from our church prayed for a man that didn't believe in Jesus. His leg was twisted, broken and about 6" shorter than the other one. (This was overseas and it had gotten caught in something that twisted and broke it many years earlier.) While they prayed for him, his leg made snapping sounds, straightened and grew to the same length as the other leg. The man said that if his leg stayed that way, he would believe in Jesus! LOL
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BTW. Did it stay that way?
The teens of our AG church took a missions trip, several years ago. Brought back a picture of a smiling little girl standing up in front of her wheelchair! (With someone on each side of her, holding her arms. And no follow-up photos of her running and playing with her friends. Guess they forgot about the camera, while that was going on, sadly.)
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
The teens of our AG church took a missions trip, several years ago. Brought back a picture of a smiling little girl standing up in front of her wheelchair! (With someone on each side of her, holding her arms. And no follow-up photos of her running and playing with her friends. Guess they forgot about the camera, while that was going on, sadly.)
I should clarify: the ones presenting the photos to the congregation didn't say anything about what happened afterward, running and playing or otherwise. They didn't have to. Just showing that picture got the desired response: cheering and praising God for the miracle.
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
I don't know about all those really supernatural miracles, I mean it's the 21st century and no one has thought maybe I should take a picture or make a video. If they were happening so often overseas as I've heard... and surely all of America would believe if there was just a video, so why is it that no Christian is ever able to get a video of these said things. Seems like it would be the greatest witnessing tool ever. I mean miracles sure helped the apostles convince people, right?
With that said, there is one story I have heard that I am convinced wasn't just chance. Though it certainly could have been. A friend of mine was in a tight place with money, having maybe 30 dollars left to her name and a little bit of gas in her car and no place to live. She's not really into church and stuff, probably cusses more than I do. Even in telling me the story about this she was cussin. But she said that she prayed to God for some help and not even 5 minutes after that, a guy she didn't know came up to her and gave her 25 dollars. Now maybe that was just chance, I mean it could have been, but how many times have you or someone ya known ever had someone you didn't know come up and give you money? And even if people give money to complete strangers more often than I think, what are the chances that this is done 5 mins after they pray for help? Now maybe it was complete chance, I mean how can ya ever be for certain But I think if this was evidence in a murder trial, the guy accused would be locked up for a long time...
The $25 gift could have been prompted by God, for sure. Or it could have been "chance" (or could have been prompted by some other factor -- maybe the stranger saw your friend praying in desperation or otherwise sensed the need). Either way, if the money had not shown up (sometimes prayers are not answered this way, and sometimes chance doesn't "work" either), she would not be as likely to tell you all about it, and you would not have passed the story on to us on AFF.
Sometimes, amazing coincidences happen. So amazing, that the people involved often say that it couldn't possibly be coincidence. But random chance is funny. Flip a coin a twelve times, and what would you think if it was heads every single time? That would be astonishing, wouldn't it? What are the chances? One in 4096. If 5 or 6 thousand people tried this, it's pretty likely that at least one would accomplish the miracle of 12 heads in a row. And guess what: they would be the ones to excitedly tell all their friends about it. Nobody that flipped heads, heads, tails, heads, tails, tails, heads, tails (etc.) would bat an eye. They wouldn't tell anyone about it or claim that it was anything out of the ordinary.
Stage performers who "read minds" depend on this phenomenon. Whenever they get a "hit" (using various techniques to increase their chances), they play it up, and their audience remembers it. The misses are not as memorable (and there are tricks to help people forget them, too).
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
The $25 gift could have been prompted by God, for sure. Or it could have been "chance" (or could have been prompted by some other factor -- maybe the stranger saw your friend praying in desperation or otherwise sensed the need). Either way, if the money had not shown up (sometimes prayers are not answered this way, and sometimes chance doesn't "work" either), she would not be as likely to tell you all about it, and you would not have passed the story on to us on AFF.
Sometimes, amazing coincidences happen. So amazing, that the people involved often say that it couldn't possibly be coincidence. But random chance is funny. Flip a coin a twelve times, and what would you think if it was heads every single time? That would be astonishing, wouldn't it? What are the chances? One 4096. If 5 or 6 thousand people tried this, it's pretty certain that at least one would accomplish the miracle of 12 heads in a row. And guess what: they would be the ones to excitedly tell all their friends about it. Nobody that flipped heads, heads, tails, heads, tails, tails, heads, tails (etc.) would bat an eye. They wouldn't tell anyone about it or claim that it was anything out of the ordinary.
Stage performers who "read minds" depend on this phenomenon. Whenever they get a "hit" (using various techniques to increase their chances), they play it up, and their audience remembers it. The misses are not as memorable (and there are tricks to help people forget them, too).
I totally agree there Timmy, chance is an interesting thing And I guess it makes you wonder about God and all those people that might pray something like that and it not happen. I suppose it was to much chance for me though. I figure the odds for something like that happening within 5 minutes of the prayer are about 1 in 1000 trillion or something like that. Maybe I'm wrong though and they are much lower. But it is telling that no miracle I hear of today is one that couldn't have happened by chance. Well then again with quantum mechanics and stuff I suppose someone might have a longshot of a chance to regrow an arm.
Yes! I understand your doubts, I really do. I know someone that was "put off" because people put on fake healing services and ruined this person's perception of God and miracles. But I am telling you, miracles really do happen!
To answer the other question about why it seems the best ones happen overseas...
I personally wonder if God just wants to make Himself real to people that don't have the opportunities to read about Him like we do. It is often in places where they don't have Bibles in their language or where Christianity is frowned upon that God does a LOT of miracles.
Another youth team went to Uganda. They went into a remote village that did not have Christians. Every single person they prayed for was healed, I think over 50 people in two days. Every single one. These are people that did NOT expect God to do anything, because they didn't know God.
I want to add that our church doesn't pray for people like the UPC videos you guys post here. We don't surround people and make a big show of things or make people feel like they are on the spot. Like the guy that got his leg straightened, they didn't even mention to him that they were praying for his healing, they just asked if they could pray for him. It was kind of like the men that let the bed down through the roof to Jesus, his friends had faith for him, but he allowed them to do it.
The kids that prayed for people at Disney Land just walked up to people that had obvious problems, like arms and legs in casts or limping, walking with crutches and such. They would ask if they could pray for them and some would say no and some would say okay. Then when they would feel the healing, some became animated and cussed and some just got wide-eyed.
The funnest thing was when they went up to a group of kids and one kid got healed of something I can't remember, but they got HIM to pray for another kid. They wanted to prove that it was Jesus and not the person praying that did the healing. So this kid that doesn't even know if he believes in Jesus puts his hand on his friend with scoliosis and just says something like "be healed in Jesus name" and the person's back straightens and she isn't in pain anymore. Everyone there knew she had this problem and were amazed.
I am probably getting everything mixed up, but it was all on camera and you could tell it was not an act. Crowds were going along around them etc. Besides, these kids go to church here and they were just as excited and amazed at how things went. It was a real faith builder for them too.
Last edited by SeekingOne; 10-20-2009 at 10:48 PM.
Reason: Added information
But I think if this was evidence in a murder trial, the guy accused would be locked up for a long time...
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