The world is vast and yet somehow small as we gaze from the upper window of the church in San Bartolo, Aguas Calientes. While dangers exist within our four walls, such as ladders and fragile scaffolds as we paint, they are known dangers, certainly dangers that we can tolerate.
But a life spent walking with Jesus is a life that must be experienced out on the roads, in places where comfortability is eclipsed by the unknowns. Surely as followers of Christ, it is in these walk by faith moments that prayer comes to us: to comfort us, to guide us, and to allow us to encounter the power of God.
But what about those times when prayers go oddly unanswered? I've personally witnessed miraculous moments in the country. I have seen God's hand intercede in inexplicable ways that were undeniably Him.
And part of me has come to expect it. But this has not been that sort of experience. Repeatedly now, I have prayed prayers of God's intercession, to find the request denied, and our team has resolved situations with more mundane solutions.
Early into the trip, near Rio Dulce, we were asked to play a movie for a local church in a village. Amazingly, between the group, we had exactly the components we needed to hook up both audio and video from a laptop computer to a locally sourced projector. We gave thanks to God for providing exactly what we needed, hooked it all up... and it didn't work.
Adam Roe, an Emmaus Crew member and son of a Pastor, suggested that we lay hands on the equipment and pray. That seemed like a perfect idea. God wanted us to rely on Him. I've prayed over a dead car and a dead cell phone, and I've seen them restart and work... and so I expected this would be the same.
And yet... nothing happened. It just wouldn't work. Maybe we didn't pray through enough? Maybe our faith was too weak? Certainly these are questions asked by followers of Christ through the centuries. Instead, we found a family with a crusty old DVD player, and we watched the movie using that.
Did God answer our prayers through the mundane?
Today the situation was much more significant. We came upon a lady who was laying in the street, her body ravaged with a massive seizure. We layed hands on her and we prayed. Desperately calling out as I've heard my Grandfather pray so many times. I called out to Jesus of Nazareth, we bound the illness, we used all the words that we see in the Bible, and that we see in our churches... and we believe.
But again today... no instant miraculous intervention.
And yet... we knew a local pastor, who knew a local doctor, who came to the scene to guide us. We encountered a young lady on the street who lives in this city, is from the United States, and is fully bilingual. She had a contact at a local clinic. In addition to this, a paramedic truck came by and we were all together able to pick the lady up, lay her on a blanket, and load her into the truck.
Jesus liked to say to the crowds, let those who have ears to hear, hear. Let those who have eyes to see, see.
Perhaps we are not so blind and deaf. Perhaps our prayers do not go unanswered. Maybe faith is something that is continually meant to develop. Maybe as followers we aren't always meant to rely on instant fixes. Could it be that sometimes God sends that startling fire by night, but at other times it is a more subtle cloud by day?
Maybe you're searching for a miracle? It's time for us all to get outside of our safe churches, to abandon the view for an experience. Maybe it's time to pray prayers that make us look ridiculous when they aren't instantly answered, and they force us to take faithful steps of faith even when it isn't easy.
Maybe we sit inside of safety and pray for answers.... when God expects us to get up, and BE the answer. I'm realizing that God never refuses our requests, sometimes we're just unwilling to hear His response.
I do know this, each time we've prayed, a resolution has come.
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