Expect the Miraculous
February 21, 2019·Jim Nelson
In today’s Pause Bible Reading Plan, Dr. Luke writes, in Acts 20:7-12, about a miraculous event that took place during a worship service.
He starts this passage with the words, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” I hope that you, like me, look forward with much expectation to the times we come together to worship the Lord. I’m so grateful for the great worship team God has raised up at The Church On The Way, to powerfully lead those who gather into a significant time of worshiping our awesome Lord. Let’s always set our hearts to enthusiastically enter these important worship times of celebrating the love that God lavishly pours out on us and the many blessings He bestows upon us. I trust God will help us never lose sight of how much our time of worship prepares our hearts to receive the full impact of the teaching of His Word that follows our worship.
Luke goes on to tell us that, on this occasion, the Apostle Paul took the opportunity to teach for an extended amount of time. While “Paul talked on and on,” a young man named Eutychus fell into a deep sleep and fell from a third-story window to his death. Some of us, who have fallen asleep as the pastor was teaching, can relate to this, can’t we? Well, maybe not the death part! While others may have been horrified at this event, the Apostle Paul used this occasion to demonstrate the miraculous power of God. Verse 10 tells us that, “Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘He’s alive!’”
I believe the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to include this event in his writing to impress upon us the importance of worshiping God with the expectation of receiving from Him the miraculous touch He desires to bring into our life. Let’s prepare our hearts, through worship, for God to miraculously bring to life any dead areas that may have crept into our life. Praise God for His awesome, miraculous power to heal, deliver from bondage, and raise us up to live the full, abundant life He has planned for us to live.
Pastor Jim Nelson
