Faith & Miracles

What is faith?
What is a miracle?
What is God's will?

These are questions that I ask myself constantly. Also, that I ask of the Lord.

We have had many that encourage us to pray in faith for miraculous healing. Others that encourage us to pray for just the right combination of meds to work. Others that encourage us to pray for the Lord's will. I get lost in all of this. How can I pray for the Lord's will to be done, yet also ask for miraculous healing and believe it will occur? What if that isn't His will? There is no doubt that I still ask for healing, but I also want to pray in His will.

So, let's dig into the Word and see what we can learn about prayers, faith, and miracles.

The Prayer of Faith

13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:13-16

A Prophet Without Honor

53When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
58And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Matthew 13:53-58

Boasting About Tomorrow

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
James 4:13-16

Warning to Pay Attention

1We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Hebrews 2:1-4

So, we should pray in faith for miracles, but also pray in the Lord's will. I think that too often we pray selfishly, for what we want and then we get upset when we don't get it. I have also found that it might not be for me to define what a miracle is or is not.

Most people that I speak to want the miracle to be that the seizures just disappear...POOF!!! That would be wonderful, but on a million different meds, how would we know? Others want it to be that we find just the right medicine that works. I struggle with calling that a miracle b/c then I'm on meds for the rest of my life and they are all dangerous in pregnancy and thus increase the risk of harming any birth children the Lord might choose to bless us with at some point.

Is a miracle defined as the seizures just disappearing or is a miracle that the doctor's are able to do a surgery that seems so unlikely and risky? Is it that they discover something unknown and the door opens to treat many more patients that have been suffering? Or, is it someone coming to know this amazing Savior who died for you and me? I don't think I've been given the go ahead to define a miracle. Also, I don't want to find myself so stuck on my definition of a miracle that I miss HIS definition.

Much like the following story:

The man has been notified that his house is going to be flooded and he needs to get out of the house. He says no I don’t have to, God is going to take care of me. Then the flood starts to rise and a sheriff comes along and tells him to get out. The man says no, God is going to save me. So, the floods continue to rise, and he climbs on top of the house. A boat comes along and he’s told to climb into the boat. He says, no, no , God is going to save me. Finally, a helicopter comes along and they lower the net to rescue him. The man says, no, no, God is going to save me! Well, the man drowns and goes to heaven. When he gets to heaven he says to God, "why didn’t you save me?" God says, "I sent the sheriff, I sent a boat, I sent a helicopter, what more did you want me to do?" There is a point at which we have to take responsibility for our faith. When God sends a helicopter, you have to climb in. So, action is a part of faith and prayer as well.
http://www.possibilityliving.org/feature/poss.living2.html

Point being, I want to pray big prayers with lots of faith and I don't want to miss all the miracles He is performing because I'm busy looking for the "miracle" that I think should be performed and not praying in His will.

Sorry for all the rambling, this is just what is floating through my mind right now as we get closer to having to make decisions on surgery, etc. If any of you have scripture and encouragement to share along these lines, we are open to continue learning amidst all of this.