The Holy Spirit and You by Dennis Bennett & Rita Bennett

Author:Dennis Bennett & Rita Bennett [Bennett, Dennis & Bennett, Rita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-03-13T18:54:43+00:00

10

The Working of Miracles

Miracles are events that seem to override or contradict the so-called laws of nature. There aren't any "laws of nature," actually. The concept of physical "laws" has been discarded by the modern physicist, who defines natural events in terms of "probability." For example, the old Newtonian physics said:

"There is a law that, neglecting air resistance, all objects fall with an acceleration of thirty-two feet per second, per second." Modern science would state it: "it is probable that all falling objects will accelerate at the rate of thirty-two feet per second, per second. This seems to be the way it happens!" And this comes very close to what the Christian says: "The so-called laws of nature codified by human science are simply God's usual way of doing things." He keeps things regular for our convenience. How awkward it would be to live in a universe where nothing happened twice the same way! It would be an Alice-in-Wonderland world, indeed, and very confusing! God, however, for His believing people, will change His accustomed ways of doing things, to meet their needs, and thus, too, show them that He is sovereign, and has all power. The great miracles of the Old and New Testaments were done to meet the needs of people, and to show them that God is real, and in full control of the situation!

It is not always easy to draw a sharp line between the gift of miracles and the gifts of healing. It would seem that "healing" should include those acts of power that involve the curing of a condition in the living human body (or animal body, for healing also can take place in animals by prayer). Other events would come under the heading of miracles.

Some of the typical miracles of the Old Testament are: the dividing of the Red Sea for the escape of the children of Israel (Exod. 14:21-31); the sun and moon standing still for Joshua (Josh. 10:12-14); the widow's cruse of oil and barrel of meal that did not run out through the time of famine (I Kings 17:8-16); the descent of the fire on Mt. Carmel to consume Elijah's sacrifice and reveal the true God (I Kings 18:17-39); the sun going backward ten degrees on Hezekiah's sundial in response to Isaiah's prayer (II Kings 20:8-11); the miraculous plagues of Egypt (Exod. 7-12); the pot of poisonous soup which was made harmless through Elisha's act of faith (II Kings 4:38-41). The greatest number of miracles in the Old Testament are recorded in the lives of Moses, Elijah, and Elisha.

The record of Elijah and his disciple, Elisha, speaks to us today. Elisha asked that he might have a "double portion" of the Holy Spirit that rested upon Elijah. As Elijah was caught up into heaven, his mantle—symbolic of his anointing—fell upon Elisha (II Kings 2:9-14). Sure enough, the Scripture records that Elisha did twice as many miracles as Elijah! This is symbolic of what happened to believers after Jesus' ascension, although Jesus did not bequeath just a "double portion" of His Spirit—He set no limit.

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