"And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus,
asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse
Him. And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep,
and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and
lift it out? "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then,
it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch
out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like
the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him...".

I suppose one could argue the fact that these Pharisees were guarding the
scripture,  having never seen the likes of one like Jesus. Perhaps being a
bit freaked out, similarly as we might with those of today making wild
claims in the name of Jesus. Everything from the barking Holy Spirited
folks in Toronto, to those chasing preachers claiming holy oil  coming
from their hands, and angelic gold flakes  coming from their hair. Now we,
sitting hear 2000 years after the fact with the vantage point of the New
Testament can sit back and wonder how the Pharisees could make such a
mistake. But then again they had the opportunity to witness the most
important time in the history of man taking place aside from his creation
which no one was witness. They did have Scripture references which to
compare the birth of Christ, a virgin, the place, and geesh, they saw this
man who they sought to condemn, asking questions at the age of twelve, and
knowing things a boy of his age ought not know. They certainly had clues
of what was going on in the history of the world. Just as we do with
knowledge of false teachers and preachers preaching what their itching
ears lead them to teach and preach today. I suppose it is sort of like a
story one might recite to someone in your own defense. No matter how you
repeat it,   no matter how much detail you try to put in it, retelling it
just does not do it justice or make it persuasive enough. It just sounds
like excuses and rubbish.  As things unfold in our lives we too tend to
see hindsight and how things ought to have been, we see very clearly how
things unfolded and perhaps even why. Imagine  going to bed and trying to
sleep knowing you just participated in the killing of the Son of God?

I remember a time in which I sought healing very fervently for my vision.
I stood a couple rows back from the front on the left side of the
sanctuary, my wife standing next to me praying in her own right about what
she was led to pray. The whole Wednesday night service was at this point
entering in a corporate time of prayer. I reasoned with god why I should
see, I sought healing. I wasn't even in an expectation of what would
happen next, I wish I had been however. I first began to smell smoke. Not
smoke as in burning of the nasal cavities but a pleasant earthy kind of
smoke, you know how peaceful the smell of someone burning leaves in the
fall can be? Like that only it had a glitter affect to it. Glitter? Yes, I
can't explain it, I can only describe it as glittery sparkly earthy smoke
as I inhaled while I stood there in prayer. Next I began to feel a deep
inner warmth within my eyes. And here, here is where I became a Pharisee.
I thought to myself... "OK enemy, leave me, you are trying to play tricks
on me and interfere with what I am praying for, leave in Jesus name".
Little did I know at the time that I was accusing the Holy Spirit of being
an enemy, out of ignorance, I was a new Christian. Nonetheless I felt I
had indeed wrongly accused the Holy Spirit in the midst of what could have
been a great healing for which I honestly do not know the permanant
repercussions of that mistake. I did not know that in such healings, as
I'm told and read about, a very warm sensation becomes evident in the area
being healed. I did not even have the notion of "power of suggestion" that
is to say to expect such a sensation in order I might create it in my mind
as a phantom feeling. I had no idea such would occur. God did do a healing
in me. He healed cataracts from my eyes over the next day. My eyes went
from being very bloodshot for a day after that prayer time, to bright
whites and pure blue afterwards whereas before they were grayed blue and
yellowed whites. It freaked my wife out in a good way lol.  I have often
wondered had I not foolishly stopped the Holy Spirit from his work within
me that night, might I had a life changing healing as this man which Jesus
healed had. I also probably felt a little like the Pharisees knowing they
put a stop to the work being done thinking it was not God in action. Talk
about remorse, I wonder if they felt as much.

Often times the miracles we recognize as being such, do not appear as such
in their midst. Sometimes I sure would have liked to have been the man in
that scene with Jesus saying... "open your eyes and see". Heck I'd even
not mind if he used spit mud on them as he did with another.

Why don't we see the healings we read about in the Scripture? There are
miracles but with the gospel spread about as it has been these 2000 years,
with as many believers in the world compared to then, seems to me we ought
see people being healed all over the place. What an evident and tangible
glorification  of God to see one tonight in a 23-year old woman laying in
a Tulsa hospital.

Lord. you healed men and women out of compassion for their lives here on
earth and for your glory as non-believers stood looking and watching.
Lord, for what it is worth, I plead to you for compassion on this young
lady and her family and ask you outright for your miraculous hand on her
life, for your glory now and years to come for her to tell others of her
gift of life through your compassion and love. Lord, just as you prayed in
the garden for the cup to be removed from you, nonetheless the Father's
will be done, I pray the same. I also know Lord you  prayed three times
until you felt and knew what was before you was now time to come to pass,
I too maintain in prayer on behalf of this young woman and her family
until you have made your will evident. I pray not for the many words, or a
public show, but for those sharing this sediment to pray in agreement. We
stand on your word which shows us love, compassion and healing even for
those who do not believe, how much  more for those who do believe. Thank
you Lord for hearing  this prayer. So be it according to my knowledge and
heart towards your word.

Brad