During my recent trip to Tanzania I was able to travel and minister with a young man who had, for all practical purposes, tried to kill himself several times. Living fast and recklessly he had indulged his flesh with abandon. And several times he almost died. The fifth time he felt was a game changer. During the experience he claims that he encountered an angel and that he was given an option whether to return to this life or not. He opted to return.
I can't speak to the above claims. It seems a bit over the top to my natural mind. However, I can and will attest to what I observed in this young man who at one time almost threw everything away.
John has a look of wonder and delight perpetually written on his face. He speaks with encouragement and love and any attempts to praise him glance off as the praise seems to merely rebound back at the giver. There is no pride, no self, no "look at me" attitude evident in his life. It is all about Christ and not about John.
I love to stand next to John during worship time. He has this look on his face as if it is the very first time he has encountered the Living God in worship and he is just blown away. You know for certain, however, that it isn't the first time because you saw him during worship yesterday, and the day before, and he had that exact same look on his face each time. You know the look: it is a look that says, "If it gets any better than this, I think I'll explode!" It is a look that expresses, "Jesus is far better than anything I could ever have imagined." And from talking to him, it is a look based firmly on the conviction that he wasted so many years chasing the wind and not craving Christ. It is a look that says, "Did you just hear what I heard? Isn't that incredible? Doesn't that just blow your mind?"
John led our prayer room ministry in the villages. He didn't know any better than to think that miracles still occur. He prayed expecting God to heal. And God did heal. The lame walked. The blind saw. The deaf heard. A paralyzed mommy held her young child for the first time while tears of joy flowed. A young boy, six years old, who had never walked or talked, now walks and talks and his dad has given his life to Christ. The witch doctor in the village had a strong influence, but we saw that influence wane.
To be sure, the experiences above seem too strange to be true. Our scientific minds can't accommodate such thinking. So we will rationalize the events away. I'm writing this in an essay form as soon as I can because I know that I, certainly, will rationalize and spiritualize the events down to nothing in a very short time. I'll bet that you, too, are trying to think of ways to dismiss the miracles above as mistaken diagnoses, over ambitious thinking, or immature Christian expectations.
But the events above are more consistent with Scripture than our rationalized thinking. We have not personally had any experiences like those described above so we instead use rationalization to help us make "sense" of Bible texts that seem to say that events like those described above are not abnormal in Kingdom living.
I, however, want my life to be consistent with all of Scripture. That includes even the miracle parts. Lord Jesus, help me to trust you and your Word to the degree that I experience the super-natural life you promised. I don't want to assume a "Your Best Life Now" mentality, but I also don't want to miss one thing that you have for me while I walk this earth. Help me to savor you with all my heart and to believe you with all my mind and to serve you with all my strength. And may I never miss what you're up to in and around me because it doesn't fit in the perspective of the natural world.
May I ever have a look of wonder on my face as I encounter the Living Christ in worship.
Dennis (2012)
