- Do you believe Miracles still happen or did they happen just during Christ's time on earth?
- Was the last miracle His raising from the dead or His Ascension into heaven?
- If you think miracles still happen, have you ever seen one or do you know of one?
I believe miracles still happen and I'll tell you about one now.
Once upon a time, when I was a youngster, my brother, Rick and I were riding a tractor with my teenage uncle Wheel (yes, this was his name), who was a teenager at that time. I rode on one fender and my brother rode on the other fender. Another teenage friend, John Fields, saw us when driving by and drove up to a gate to visit.
My brother and I were patiently (or maybe not so patiently) sitting on the tractor fenders while the teenagers, Wheel and John visited. When done visiting, John was prepared to walk back to his car and we were ready to continue with whatever we had been doing previously.
I've already given a hint as to what might happen. Have you picked up on the hint which I've said three times already? Something about teenage? There is a saying one teenager is fine, but two or more are trouble.
With an audience at hand, my uncle Wheel spun that tractor for home and popped as good a wheelee as has ever been done. It was everything I could do just to hang on as my head hit both my back and my chest and my tail bone tickled my tonsils. After about 50 feet, Wheel stopped and asked "Where is Rick?" Yes, where was Rick, for my brother was gone!
Turning we saw John Fields vault the gate, run to a mud puddle, and start groping. "Where is Rick?" and why is John acting so strange? We ran over asking if John knew were Rick was and John was yelling "Help me find him!".
Yes, Rick was buried in the mud puddle and not just a little bit either. He was stuck and deep. Wheel and John pulled him out and got him breathing again, of sorts. As it turns out, Rick was quite battered and bruised, but he came closer to drowning or suffocating than being squished, thanks to a well placed, sized, and deep mud puddle, and of course, the speed the tractor moved over him. Did anyone think about the fact the tires were " spinning" faster than the tractor was moving? Clothes and hide on the tire side weren't much good anymore either!
It took Rick maybe a week to fairly recover. Wasn't this a miracle? He recovered without a broken bone or lingering injury.
Now, you might think: "If God can do miracles, why would he use natural tools like the mud puddle and such instead of zapping my uncle or fixing teenage brains or gluing his pants to the tractor fender?"
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
We don't know close to anything.
- My brother gave his life to ministry. What role this had to play in his decision, I don't know? I can only wonder.
- Both Wheel and John were very much subdued and learned a valuable lessons. How can we know who was not maimed or killed later, or what other tragic event was avoided because of this? God knows, but we can only guess.
- Not being too bright, my troubles with tractors is just beginning. We'll speak of this another day. However, my confidence God was now unshaken. Sometime maybe I'll tell you how that confidence was put to the test.
During communion today, consider how the Hand of God has been on your life. Many of us have been blessed in very many ways and we don't even stop to thank God for his benevolence most of the time. Why are we such ingrates, so ungrateful? Let us resolve to thank God for every special blessing we receive this week. Let us trust in God's infinite grace, mercy, and judgment.
