Monday, June 15, 2009

Encounter with God

I'm told I shouldn't call things that are attributed to God weird, but perhaps the dictionary will help me:

weird
1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural.
2.
Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange.

as with all dictionaries one word leads to another

preternatural
1. Out of or being beyond the normal course of nature; differing from the natural.
2. Surpassing the normal or usual; extraordinary: "Below his preternatural affability there is some acid and steel" George F. Will.
3. Transcending the natural or material order; supernatural.

so perhaps I am allowed the word.

This is what happened. One of our vicars friends - Neil - from a previous parish was the visiting preacher. I met him at the door as Warner was not around when he arrived. I welcomed him to the church and guided him around.

He preached on Jairus' daughter, he talked about healing and explained a little of how he had got into the ministry. He spoke of some of his 'successes' and 'failures', and how he had started to come to terms with them. He used some expressions I had not heard before. 'Jairus released his faith'. I wasn't sure what that meant, so we spoke at the end of the service. He was stood on my right, and was explaining what he meant. "Suppose you had broken your arm" he said, and touched my right arm just about where the bottom of the plate is. I was shocked, and asked if it had been mentioned. I think I said rather loudly 'who told you'. None of the physical beings in the church had mentioned it. We talked some more about another phrase ' shutting down the doubt'. This is easier to understand. It simple means if you do something in faith don't immediately go and deny that faith by your following actions.

He prayed for the healing of my arm, something that has only been done one other time in my presence. Afterwards the arm was looser than it had been, not much, but noticeably to me. We talked about healing of believers being impossible in the presence of unbelief. It was not that I didn't believe, I am recovering, I had never thought that God may want to hurry it along.
Here is the main point - I do not have the mindset to expect these things to happen. I accept they are possible, but as they don't fall in the category of regular events (we do not have anyone in the church with this calling so far as I know) I don't think about it that much.

According to Neil it is part of us being different - in the world but not of it, I suppose. Right now I am like this boy's father (Mark 9:14-25). I have to believe that getting better will one day be got back to normal. Only when there is normality will there be have been a miracle.

I had really only intended to try to understand what he was saying, but speaking to someone with a healing gift it would be strange not to ask for prayer for healing when you have such an obvious problem. So I would have mentioned it. God it seems has other ideas. Who needs comfort zones anyway?

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