December 1

When Iron Floats

They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!” The man of God [Elisha] asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it. ––2 Kings 6:4-7

Don’t underestimate the miraculous and outrageous things God can do. The box we—I—put him in is often very small. My friend, Joel, used to travel to Argentina to visit churches and do ministry there. He’s open to miracles—big, hairy audacious ones—but had never seen one. I’m not talking about when you are late for the movie on Saturday night and a spot right next to the entrance opens up. I’m talking about things that cannot be explained away by coincidence or science.

So Joel is at an outdoor evangelism event in the town of La Plata, a suburb of Buenos Aires. A light rain is falling, but that doesn’t seem to dampen the spirits of a few thousand people who turn out, worshiping loudly and enthusiastically. The music dies down and a speaker steps to the microphone. “Before I begin my message, I believe the Lord is saying that there’s a woman in the crowd who has a short leg, and that He is healing her right now.”

Sounds a little woo woo, right? Here’s how Joel tells it:

I’m standing there in the rain, inwardly whining about getting wet, wishing I were in a warm pastelería sipping hot maté. This family shows up—mom and dad, a couple of kids, and an older woman limping noticeably and using a cane. It’s clear to me—and anyone else who might have taken notice—that her right leg is several inches shorter than her left. Glaringly obvious. Then the speaker starts talking about how God wants to heal someone’s leg. Suddenly, the younger woman next to me starts screaming; then the man and the kids jump in. I look over, and the older woman throws down her cane and starts jumping up and down on two whole legs. God healed her—I saw it with my own eyes.

Some of you may dismiss that story. I get it. However, I don’t dismiss it. Why? Two reasons: Joel is a solid, trustworthy brother in Christ, and I’ve seen God perform medical miracles just like that. People with cancer who are given two months to live, only to be completely healed—the doctors with no medical explanation. The baby born with too little oxygen and diagnosed brain dead only to make an inexplicable and complete recovery. Mind over matter? The power of positive thinking? It’s possible. But isn’t it even more possible that the God who continuously performed miracles throughout both the Old and New Testaments is still performing them today? Yes, I believe so.

I love the story of Elisha and the miracle of the axe head because it’s so … small and random. I mean, why should the Lord of the universe care that some careless soldier loses the head of a borrowed axe? But He did care, and He still does—even about the “small stresses” that sometimes send us spinning.

Don’t put God in a box that excludes the miraculous, friend. From the little ones to the big ones, He still floats axe heads.

Father, I don’t want to limit You or Your Holy Spirit; give me an open heart and discerning eyes and ears regarding Your miraculous works.