Miracles on Layaway

 October 19, 2022

At our Monday night men’s Bible study, we’ve been considering questions God asks us. So often, we have questions we want God to answer, but don’t give much thought to questions he asks of us. And yet, he does. He asks questions not because he doesn’t know the answer, but because we don’t know ourselves. He asked Adam, “Where are you?” because Adam had lost his way. He asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” because Cain needed to learn that we are responsible for one another. Monday’s question God asked Abraham after telling him Sarah was going to have a baby in her old age. Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed at the ridiculousness of the prospect, so God asked, “Is anything too hard for God?”

It’s a question we would do well to ponder. We know the answer theoretically; of course, nothing is too hard for God, but when it comes to our own specific circumstances, we aren’t usually as certain as we would like to be. So Monday, I asked our men to write down what to them seems like an impossible situation for which they would like God to work a miracle. It wasn’t easy. Prayers like that are serious stuff, and we discover that too often, we pray for minor matters when we should be in the major leagues. Praying for someone to be healed of cancer is in a different category than praying for someone who has the flu.

So Monday, I wrote down two requests; that God would heal my son of the cancer, and that he would bring salvation to a friend. What I didn’t expect (silly me!) was that God would answer quite so quickly. Last week, Nathan had a bit of a setback. The immunotherapy that helps his body recognize and fight the melanoma can have a side effect of raising certain enzymes that have the potential to damage his liver. His enzyme levels were at the point where the doctors decided they needed to cease his immunotherapy and begin again treating him with steroids to combat any infection caused by the elevated enzyme levels. The result of that decision is that he isn’t getting the treatment that actually fights his particular form of cancer. This of course, is concerning to him and us.

 This morning, Nathan got his bloodwork done and it came back clear; his enzyme levels are down, and next week he resumes his immunotherapy. Of course, that doesn’t add up to a complete healing, but it is an encouragement and an indication to us that our prayers are being heard. I write down on a Monday the miracle I desire, and on Wednesday, we get word that we are again moving in the right direction. We aren’t hedging our bets in prayer; we are boldly asking for a miracle, and we got the first installment this morning.