A Miracle
Why don’t we believe in miracles? Modern skeptics would argue that miracles are impossible because the laws of nature and science are necessary. A miracle, they would argue, would involve the violation of this principle, and that would be impossible. If something very unexpected occurs that works in their favor, they may see it as a “coincidence,” but hardly a “miracle.”
A few months ago, I met a young man at church, let’s call him Bob. Bob is in his late 20’s, tattooed, with long yellow-dyed hair, and facial piercings. He was sitting in a wheelchair next to his girlfriend, towards the back pews of our church sanctuary. They couldn’t have accidentally stumbled into our sanctuary on a Sabbath morning unless they arrived with a purpose. I thought to myself, what could be their reason for choosing our church today?
At potluck, I ended up sitting next to this young couple to hear their story. The young man began to share, “I’ve been unable to walk for a month.” He explained how he woke up paralyzed in his left leg. His girlfriend went on sharing how she was having to take care of Bob, cooking for him and assisting him with many of his daily routine. Bob was frustrated he couldn’t return to work due to the physical demands needed to perform his job. His condition left him very depressed and anxious.
Bob had heard somewhere, that in the Bible, there was a passage that mentioned an anointing would bring upon special healing. So he asked us if we could gather the elders together in the church and anoint him and pray for him.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:14 NKJV
Ellen White writes on this topic, commenting “I understand the text in James is to be carried out when a person is sick upon his bed, if he calls for the elders of the church, and they carry out the directions in James, anointing the sick with oil in the name of the Lord, praying over him the prayer of faith. We read, “The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” Medical Ministry 17.1
Bob’s request is a bold one. He had very little knowledge about the Bible. He would be the first to admit that his life was not a sanctified one. Yet, he heard something, from someone, who may have been a Christian, that there was hope found in the practice of God’s Word. What faith!
Our elders encircled him, we each individually prayed for his healing, and our Pastor anointed his forehead with oil and said the final prayer. After that, each departed and I was left alone in the room with Bob.
It had been a month since Bob walked, so his legs became stiff, edematous, and atrophied. After he gave me some medical history, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to maybe try to have him stand, so I grabbed another church member to help me. I asked Bob if he wanted to try standing up and maybe take a step while we supported him. He was hesitant, but with his girlfriend’s strong encouragement, he decided to give it a try. He was slow to stand, as he carefully placed his affected foot down on the floor. With some facial grimacing, he took a few steps, struggling through it, then asked to sit back down. He thanked us for trying because now he felt he gained some hope knowing he might be able to walk again.
About a week later, Bob ended up in the hospital as his leg pains were getting worse. He called me and we prayed together over the phone. I tried to encourage him. Phone calls and texts kept coming my way, as Bob was keeping me up-to-date on every medical test that was being performed on him. An MRI, CT scans, a lumbar puncture, and blood tests did not show any strong indication what was causing his paralysis. Bob was getting hopeless, and he told me, “The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with me.” He was discharged back home with instructions to follow up with some specialty doctors.
Then, the amazing thing occurred. A couple weeks after his hospitalization, Bob called me again. I could tell he was excited to share something with me on the phone. He said he could strangely feel his left leg again, the numbness was almost gone. He could move his ankle and toes. He tried standing at first, then as he got comfortable, he took some steps, and once he felt steady, he kept on walking. He was so excited to show me his progress, that he came back to church the following Sabbath to show me he could walk. I was in shock. Bob was walking! No wheelchair in sight. No walker or cane to balance him. He had a slight limp, but it was hardly noticeable compared to his huge smile.
As of today, Bob is coming to church, learning more about his loving Savior. He even gave his testimony in front of the church on how God answered his prayers. He still has his worldly struggles, but God is working on his heart, just like He is working on all of ours.
If we want to experience more miracles in our lives, then we need more prayer and more faith. God is limitless and He is still in the business of healing. Bob’s physical healing was a miracle, but the greater miracle was his acceptance of Jesus into his life. Let’s allow God to perform the greatest miracle in our lives—the transformation of our hearts. Miracles still do happen today!
Tom Kim is a physical therapist and serves as an elder at Jasper SDA Church. He married his Korean camp meeting sweetheart and has two precious daughters. Currently, he lives in the beautiful foothills of the Cumberland Plateau in TN. He loves to spend time in nature, exercise, garden, and play with his three dogs.