Would you change for a Miracle?

“One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?”‘ John 5:5-6

“Do you want to be healed?” Jesus posed it as an option to the man who had been lame for over thirty years. At first, I read this story and thought, ‘who wouldn’t want to be healed?’ “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a miracle?” God recently answered my question, and it was saddening.

While I’ve been here, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know a man who can’t really walk. Aaron and I met him while going for a walk and praying for this city. He told us that few people actually stop and talk to him, but we noticed plenty of people stopped to give him money. 

One of the things our team started doing was seeking God before we left the house. We wanted to see where God wanted to take us. While praying, I was overwhelmed with this vision of going to our friend and praying for healing over his legs. In my vision, I saw that he stood up and was entirely healed. So of course I was excited to tell Aaron about this, which excited him. So Aaron, Josiah, and I went to our friend to talk and ultimately see God do a miracle.

As we walked, I thought about the cool things my team has done already. We have worshiped in the park, taught kids guitar, and played volleyball with strangers. 

Aaron was teaching him how to play the guitar until the kid asked to sing with him. It was a beautiful moment to be a part of.

 

We decided to gather everyone and partner with a local Christian who worked in a pizza place. We ordered pizza and sang on that corner and got to have amazing conversations because of the worship.

 

My team playing a pickup volleyball game with some guys they met at the beach. I ended up having some good conversations here.

 

Now we were hungry to see God perform some miracles.

We got there, and Aaron struck a conversation with him immediately and quickly led to asking him, “do you want to be healed?” Our friend at first said yes, but then when we asked him to put his faith into action and walk, he no longer wanted to. So we asked him again, “do you want to be healed?” This time, he said no. I then realized that there was no reason for him to quit. He was making a lot of money sitting and begging. He rejected a miracle because he would end up losing his comfortable lifestyle. He would have to change and find a job.

How sad is that? He rejected God’s gift of healing because of his comfort. Then I thought, ‘would I be able to change for a miracle?‘ Think about that. God was asking him to leave everything and become a part of a miracle. As amazing as the miracle was, would you change your whole life for a miracle? Our friend said no; he considered the cost of what he was being offered. It wasn’t worth it for him.

Is it worth it for you? Would you be able to change for a miracle? Would you leave your job to move to another country and watch God do amazing things? Would you donate sixty percent of your paycheck and watch God take care of you? 

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 Thank you, God, for offering us amazing opportunities! You desire to perform miracles, and you want to use us to do it. I ask that you use me however you see fit. Thank you for forgiving me for all the times I let my comforts get in the way. Amen