Do you personally believe that God still performs miracles today? Many Christians believe that “signs and wonders” should accompany our current works in the same manner as Jesus and the apostles did in the New Testament. In fact, they will cite John 14:12 in that we should be doing “even greater works than these.” Some others however, claim that the era of supernatural intervention is over and that Christians should not expect God to do the same kind of miracles that are recorded in the New Testament. Where do you line up?
First, let’s define the term. A “miracle” is a wonder or marvel that defies rational explanation. It surpasses all known scientific, human or natural powers. Because of this, it must be attributed to supernatural causes. Another dictionary defines, it is “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.”
Two years ago at the Sons of Thunder Farm in Zambia there was a men’s devotion service that began with a powerful mini-sermon delivered by Pastor Terry focused on Elisha the prophet. There were about a hundred of us altogether from the surrounding villages and after the message we all stood and gathered in Zambian-style collective and effusive prayer . The message stirred us deeply and we were praying in the Spirit, many of us in tears. We then encircled two men from the village nearby who were deaf and mute from birth to lay hands on them and pray a prayer of healing over them. One of the men was named Advenot and the other Darwin.
“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)
In Zambia and throughout the African bush there is a culture of voodoo and shamans where curses and cast spells are still prevalent. Demon possession, hexes and generational curses are not uncommon. The Bible tells us that the Son of God appeared to “destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8) and that likewise He tells us, “as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)
It was cloudy that morning and as we began to pray; a light rain shower began outside the open church. When we had laid hands on the men we were praying for, there was a flash of lightning above and a clap of thunder right outside in the moment that the Zambian pastor prayed “be healed!” over them. Seconds later, a brilliant sunlight pierced through the clouds and illumined the area around the church. It was Spirit-filled and it was moving, and all of us believed these men were both healed.
But on that day, neither man reported a change in their condition. Neither could hear, neither could speak. We waited for the next day, and then the next. But there was no change. There was disappointment among us, others asked “why weren’t they healed?” We continued to pray and ten days later as we began to embark on the long journey back to the United States neither of the two men could hear or speak.
Often, when we think of “unanswered” prayer it may be that we don’t understand the way in which God responds to our prayers. Sometimes, He may not grant an immediate answer and other times He answers in ways that we may not recognize or understand. There are other times when God will say “no” for whatever reason He may have. But, we must understand that God never makes mistakes, even though we might question Him. So what happened?
Unfortunately, we have lost contact with Advenot. But seven months ago while I was back in Zambia, we drove to a village outside of Sons of Thunder to minister and pray with the people. The other man that we had prayed for was there, Darwin. Alexander turned to me and said, “have you not heard?” And then I learned that in the prior recent months Darwin had gradually begun to hear for the first time in his life! There was a slow but steady increase in hearing with each passing day and he began to speak for the first time as well. It was a miracle healing! When I greeted him, he proudly showed me his first cell phone on his side. The following week he was part of a re-enactment team portraying Jesus’ final days prior to the Crucifixion. The picture insert is him during a break during one of the re-enactments. Oh, and by the way, the village elders and leadership suggested to him that due to his healing that he might change his name. Today, he is no longer Darwin…..he is now known as Daniel!
God is doing a great work in Zambia through Sons of Thunder. We are grateful for your prayers and financial support!