Strange things do happen.
A woman in Abuja had been married for several years and didn't have a child. She cried to God but nothing seemed to be happening; beyond repeated miscarriages. As the years went by Her mother in law felt that enough was enough, she needed a grandchild and prevailed on her son to marry another wife.
The woman feared for her home and rushed to her Pastor. (He relayed this story to us). He too prayed and still nothing happened.
One day the woman called him from her hospital bed. He was worried at what sickness could have led her to be hospitalised. When he got there, with some other members of the church, she asked him to draw closer.
As he bent his ear to her lips, he heard her whisper, "The doctors said they are three."
"What is three?"
"I am pregnant with triplets and they insist I need bedrest to help the babies stabilise."
The Pastor was escatic. God is truly a prayer answering God.
The husband jettisoned any idea of taking another wife. As the wife stabilised, he promptly shipped her to one of the best hospitals 'abroard'.
Soon he called with the good news. His wife had given birth to bouncing TWINS.
Family and friends was filled with joy. But the Pastor was perplexed, ... what happened... he rejoiced with them over the phone and waited till they returned.
When the woman came back.. she had no further explanations. The scan in Nigeria and the scan in the hospital abroad showed three babies. When I gave birth, they were just 2 but even though it is a mystery I didn't ask any further question; I feel honoured that God has given me the miracle of carrying children in my lifetime.
The Pastor couldn't let go. He got home and asked God again and again, "where is the missing baby??"
In one of his quiet moments, he heard a whisper in heart...
"Three men were thrown into the fire, but those who looked saw four men. The fourth man was there to see that the three came to know harm. There were strong forces that insisted that this daughter of mine would continue to have miscarriages. I was there myself to ensure that this no longer happened."
The Pastor was utterly speechless.
God is truly with us. Once in a while, he reveals his presence in strange ways to help us know.
Daniel 3:19-25
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
Showing posts with label Miracles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miracles. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2008
Monday, December 3, 2007
GOD IS DRAWN TO OUR PRAISE
Paul and his co-missionary Silas where arrested one day because they dared to rebuke an evil spirit in the course of sharing the good news of salvation. (Acts Chapter 16). As a result they were beaten, their clothes were torn and they were put in the inner prison with their feet bound in stocks.They were being punished for doing God’s work.
As they sat together waiting in chains, they had a number of options.
1) They could have complained to God about how He had forsaken them in the face of their obedience or about how they were receiving a poor reward for their pursuit of His will.
2) They could have cursed those that persecuted them and commanded them to become blind. And they might have been justified.
But rather they did something we will all find very strange…
They started singing songs of praise to God. They worshipped him from their heart. They probably told him that in spite of their trials, they did not doubt that He was still the Great and Mighty God, Great in counsel, mighty in deed. The other prisoners heard their songs and must have wondered what manner of man they were.
The next thing everyone knew was that there was a mighty earthquake. The foundations of the prison shook; the doors flung open and everyone’s chains were loosed.
That night Paul and Silas became free men.
What accounted for the earthquake and their miraculous deliverance. Psalm 22:3 gives us a clue. It says - God inhabits the Praises of His people.
Just take a moment to imagine…
They praised God! God heard and His heart was drawn to the love and faith they had in Him; so He came down and entered into the prison. The foundations shook because no building can contain God and remain the same.
(
His promise to inhabit our praises is all the solution we need because no problem can really stand in the face of our Almighty God. This reminds me somewhat of Incredible Hulk and His clothes, if you know what I mean.)
God's presence in response to their praise, led to an earthquake and their freedom.
Wonderful story about how we need to keep our focus on God regardless of our trials and problems. In everything, let us give thanks. God is bigger than every problem we may be facing.
As they sat together waiting in chains, they had a number of options.
1) They could have complained to God about how He had forsaken them in the face of their obedience or about how they were receiving a poor reward for their pursuit of His will.
2) They could have cursed those that persecuted them and commanded them to become blind. And they might have been justified.
But rather they did something we will all find very strange…
They started singing songs of praise to God. They worshipped him from their heart. They probably told him that in spite of their trials, they did not doubt that He was still the Great and Mighty God, Great in counsel, mighty in deed. The other prisoners heard their songs and must have wondered what manner of man they were.
The next thing everyone knew was that there was a mighty earthquake. The foundations of the prison shook; the doors flung open and everyone’s chains were loosed.
That night Paul and Silas became free men.
What accounted for the earthquake and their miraculous deliverance. Psalm 22:3 gives us a clue. It says - God inhabits the Praises of His people.
Just take a moment to imagine…
They praised God! God heard and His heart was drawn to the love and faith they had in Him; so He came down and entered into the prison. The foundations shook because no building can contain God and remain the same.
(
His promise to inhabit our praises is all the solution we need because no problem can really stand in the face of our Almighty God. This reminds me somewhat of Incredible Hulk and His clothes, if you know what I mean.)
God's presence in response to their praise, led to an earthquake and their freedom.
Wonderful story about how we need to keep our focus on God regardless of our trials and problems. In everything, let us give thanks. God is bigger than every problem we may be facing.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
WHAT YOU WANT IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU NEED
The 40 year old man was quite comfortable in his position. It was no longer a big deal that he was lame and he was no longer ashamed that he was a beggar. He no longer flinched when he sat in the sun and his complexion became increasingly darkened by the day. The heavier the rain, the better because it made up for the times when his people were too busy to help him with a bath.
His finances were improving by the day. Everyone knew God’s commandment to give to the poor. Everyone knew he was a genuine cripple not like some other frauds who pretended they were blind but were somehow able to burst into a sprint whenever there was a riot. His income was good; enough to support his wife’s earnings from her petty trading and enough to take care of their children.
Today, the sun was kind to him. Probably because it was the Sabbath, when men showed their pious side and maybe had greater access to God’s mercy.
He took up his position beside the beautiful gate and as expected the coins began to drop into his plate. He looked up and saw two men walk towards him. What grace, What elegance. There was something different about them. He stared but couldn’t place what it was. Well, all he needed was their money, so he donned his most pitiable voice, “Please, have pity on a poor needy man like me….
He expected Peter to put his hand into his pocket but rather Peter gave a command … “Look at us.” That sounded strange but he gave them his whole attention.
Hear Peter in Acts 3: 6, “Silver and Gold, I have not, but what I have I will give to you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk…”
The rest is history; the lame man walked. His life could no longer remain the same.
The lame man expected money but received what money can never buy. He wanted a few coins but needed a miracle. He got one.
May we pray that God should daily lead us to find what we need and what will make a difference to our lives
His finances were improving by the day. Everyone knew God’s commandment to give to the poor. Everyone knew he was a genuine cripple not like some other frauds who pretended they were blind but were somehow able to burst into a sprint whenever there was a riot. His income was good; enough to support his wife’s earnings from her petty trading and enough to take care of their children.
Today, the sun was kind to him. Probably because it was the Sabbath, when men showed their pious side and maybe had greater access to God’s mercy.
He took up his position beside the beautiful gate and as expected the coins began to drop into his plate. He looked up and saw two men walk towards him. What grace, What elegance. There was something different about them. He stared but couldn’t place what it was. Well, all he needed was their money, so he donned his most pitiable voice, “Please, have pity on a poor needy man like me….
He expected Peter to put his hand into his pocket but rather Peter gave a command … “Look at us.” That sounded strange but he gave them his whole attention.
Hear Peter in Acts 3: 6, “Silver and Gold, I have not, but what I have I will give to you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk…”
The rest is history; the lame man walked. His life could no longer remain the same.
The lame man expected money but received what money can never buy. He wanted a few coins but needed a miracle. He got one.
May we pray that God should daily lead us to find what we need and what will make a difference to our lives
Monday, September 3, 2007
Another day Another Miracle
Every day is a miracle. We do not often see this because we have gone through so many days and so tend not to pay attention to the miracle of:
breathing, sleeping and waking, eating without chocking, going to the toilet freely, and returning home safely after each day.
But God is actively working on our behalf.
Psalm 91: 11-12 'For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone
Yesterday evening, God brought the fact of His divine protection, home to me again. My husband came home about 7p.m. in the evening and sat down. I greeted him casually, and why not? He had just dropped me at home three hours earlier before returning to church.
With a pensive tone he said - I experienced something today that I have never experienced in my whole life. That got my attention... What happened? I asked. He told us the story
He was driving from our church within the Mainland hotel complex and had a Pastor friend - Pastor Otunde, beside him. The Pastor's children were sitting behind. He drove through oyingbo towards Adekunle to drop Pst Otunde at home. At the second main intersection, notorious for being blocked by danfo drivers, they saw people running towards their direction, including the danfo drivers who abandonned their buses. Their first thought was armed robbers, and so Pastor Otunde opened the door and gave a characteristic order that you hear in cases like that - Run!!!
However, in that split second where he had placed one foot on the ground, my husband saw a trailer facing the one way traffic and bearing down on him with an obvious problem of brake failure. The road at that point sloped downwards and the trailer was clearly gathering speed. He took a decision and swerved to the left. Pastor Otunde was thrown out of the car and as he hit the ground he was rolled to the right. The trailed passed between the car and Pastor Otunde, missing them both by a hair's breadth before speeding by and chasing other pedestrians and drivers off the road. A stunned Pastor Otunde got up and the first question he asked my husband was - What just happened now? As i lay on the ground i saw the tires of the trailer roll just beside my face!
Apart from a few bruises he was okay. He kept saying, Thank you Lord for this miracle. Not even my glasses were broken.
I woke up early this morning and kept thinking of what could have happened if God had not intervened. All I could do was sing songs of praises. It could have been a different story. Join me to say.... halleluyah!!
Make God continue to look out for us, In Jesus Name. Amen.
Have a blessed week
breathing, sleeping and waking, eating without chocking, going to the toilet freely, and returning home safely after each day.
But God is actively working on our behalf.
Psalm 91: 11-12 'For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone
Yesterday evening, God brought the fact of His divine protection, home to me again. My husband came home about 7p.m. in the evening and sat down. I greeted him casually, and why not? He had just dropped me at home three hours earlier before returning to church.
With a pensive tone he said - I experienced something today that I have never experienced in my whole life. That got my attention... What happened? I asked. He told us the story
He was driving from our church within the Mainland hotel complex and had a Pastor friend - Pastor Otunde, beside him. The Pastor's children were sitting behind. He drove through oyingbo towards Adekunle to drop Pst Otunde at home. At the second main intersection, notorious for being blocked by danfo drivers, they saw people running towards their direction, including the danfo drivers who abandonned their buses. Their first thought was armed robbers, and so Pastor Otunde opened the door and gave a characteristic order that you hear in cases like that - Run!!!
However, in that split second where he had placed one foot on the ground, my husband saw a trailer facing the one way traffic and bearing down on him with an obvious problem of brake failure. The road at that point sloped downwards and the trailer was clearly gathering speed. He took a decision and swerved to the left. Pastor Otunde was thrown out of the car and as he hit the ground he was rolled to the right. The trailed passed between the car and Pastor Otunde, missing them both by a hair's breadth before speeding by and chasing other pedestrians and drivers off the road. A stunned Pastor Otunde got up and the first question he asked my husband was - What just happened now? As i lay on the ground i saw the tires of the trailer roll just beside my face!
Apart from a few bruises he was okay. He kept saying, Thank you Lord for this miracle. Not even my glasses were broken.
I woke up early this morning and kept thinking of what could have happened if God had not intervened. All I could do was sing songs of praises. It could have been a different story. Join me to say.... halleluyah!!
Make God continue to look out for us, In Jesus Name. Amen.
Have a blessed week
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