Seeing and Praying for the Miraculous

As I continue to pray that the Lord would be my voice and the words that I speak would just be a microphone launching words full of grace and mercy, I am reminded that God can and will do the miraculous. My church is currently reading through the new testament, we just finished Mark and Acts. These two books sparked within me this deep desire to continue to not only trust and believe that Jesus came to earth to demonstrate just how miraculous His strength, wisdom, and understanding really is, but also how we as children walking with the Holy Spirit have been granted that great strength, wisdom, and understanding also.

In Mark we see Jesus as a healer, exorcist, chef/baker, and rabbi. (O and mind reader...) We also see His closest disciples being sent out with authority to cast out demons and anointing many sick people with oil and healing them. (Mark 6:13) Which in Acts we see the disciples (now including Paul) having received great wisdom and understanding in order to preach in front of thousands the gospel of Jesus Christ. How is it that they can speak in tongues, heal the lame and brake out of prison with such little effort.
It's at this point in the disciples story that I hear Christ's words in Mark all over again, "And He was saying to them, 'Do you not yet understand?" (Mark 8:21) In Mark we are given just a taste of the strength of the Holy Spirit. But in Acts we see these disciples functioning and performing great feats because they had received the Holy Spirit and finally understood the purpose of Jesus' blood sacrifice. It's amazing to me that not only do we see the disciples praying and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, but we also see those that believed their words speaking in tongues and prophesying.

"And I remember the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Therefore if God gave them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" (Acts 11:16-17)

These Gentiles repented and desired to lead lives that were sold out for the cause of Christ, because of this they too were granted the ability to see and pray into existence the miraculous. Acts ends with Paul acknowledging that it's not just the disciples and new believers that have been granted the Holy Spirit but we have seen throughout history men and women who have been walking in the power of the Spirit, proclaiming the desires of our most Holy God for all to return to Him and be healed. (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and King David are just a few.)

So how does this connect with my prayers of seeing and praying for the miraculous? It's the whole point and purpose of my prayers. Although Jesus pointed out that this generation just kept looking for a sign to believe in Him and He didn't seem too thrilled by this fact, it didn't stop Him from still revealing Himself in this way. Sometimes I think it's okay to approach the throne of God with requests like the father who's boy was demon possessed, "I do believe; help my unbelief." (Mark 9:24) There are days where my faith in God's ability to break through life's circumstances is smaller than a mustard see. It's that father's statement that helps get me through those tough times.

It is my prayer that as I seek God for the miraculous and continue to pray that the Holy Spirit would be given more authority over different areas of my life that I would see God in great and powerful ways. That I would be aware of not only the obviously miraculous but also the hidden miracles of life like the breath that I just took. Praying that you too would experience God in miraculous ways today.

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