Category: Divine Intervention

I am the way…

BLOG 30 March 6, 2017 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

For help with struggles: get a new copy
WHEN THERE IS NO MIRACLE
Robert Wise’s classic on overcoming tragedy

            And how do we pray for miracles? Intercession is more like wires hooking up electricity to a house. The power was always there but it had to be transmitted to the point of need. Praying and laying on of hands has not only been following a scriptural directive, but are also making points of connection.

I have watched a number of ministers visit in hospital rooms. Most often, they offer a perfunctory prayer for well being and then leave. Actually, placing one’s hand on a person in need and praying for divine activity to flow into the person is an entirely different matter. The intercessor becomes a divine connection of renewing spiritual electricity.

When people pray with such intent, they send life to the places where destruction has been at work. I have never found anyone who could tell me what “life” is. My daughter-in-law is a medical doctor and we’ve had this discussion before. Death is easily described but defining life is elusive. With new life in our physical system, we can fight off cancer; without it, a simple infection can destroy us.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In an indefinable way, Jesus was the embodiment of life. What we have labeled as miracles are experiences infused with the substance we call life. The recipients are filled with a new possibility. Life!

Life is embodied in many additional entities that are all around us. Flowers, trees, nature are alive because they contain life. A walk through a primeval forest energizes one because the shrubs, ancient trees, animals, all contain and convey life. As people age, it is important to stay in touch with such living entities. Those who lock themselves up in empty rooms are allowing life to slip away. The opposite is true with people who play with children, hug pets, and revitalize themselves with on-going sources of vitality.

Life comes to us from the source of all vivification. Divine intervention imparts life. We grow up hearing people talk about “the God world” as if it is up there, beyond the clouds, or “way over there.” Eternity is always someplace far, far away. Fortunately, the stories of the resurrection of Jesus give us a different picture. As he abruptly appeared to the apostles and then disappeared, Jesus demonstrated that heaven is “right here,” in our midst (John 20:19-23). On the Emmaus road, Jesus appeared and talked with the two men. After breaking bread (Holy Communion), when the men recognized him, Jesus disappeared, but they had experience him and that imparted life. (Luke 24;13-31) The resurrected Lord moved back and forth between these two realms, heaven and earth. That movement continues and imparts life.

I conclude that these stories demonstrate that divine intervention continues to impart life even to this day, even to you.

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BERNICE MCSHANE

BLOG 29 February 27, 2017 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

People seeking divine intervention often ask, “Where do we aim our prayers. Are we praying in the right direction?” And often they sound like they are telling God something He doesn’t already know. Rather than a personal conversation with their Creator, the prayers sounds like their feverish cry for help to a God who has no idea they are in trouble. Can that be right? Let’s take a different look at our prayers.

Bernice McShane learned to tell the difference. She was relatively new to the Christian faith and in her forties. With four children, Bernice had her hands full with the kids and a full time job. After a long day, she was relaxing in bed but not quite asleep. What followed did not arise from a dream. She saw herself sitting on a sofa with her daughter and a hostess. Five other people were gathered around in some sort of home meeting.

The hostess announced, “We’re going to talk to Jesus today. Let’s listen and see what he has to say. Let’s all picture Jesus standing in this room.”

Bernice turned to listen and imagined her idea of Jesus standing there. Abruptly, she knew what followed hadn’t risen from her imagination. Jesus of Nazareth was actually there. He was so real that Bernice started to cry.

Jesus extended his hand as if to say, “Come with me. What I offer is free and you don’t have to do anything but accept.”

Bernice was so shaken she couldn’t stop crying. Her daughter came over to comfort her. She asked Bernice if she was alright. All Bernice could do was shake her head and mumble, “a-ha.” Her eyes were closed now, but an inner eye continued to see the scene. When Jesus extended his hand, Bernice realized that she had reacted. As the scene disappeared, Bernice knew it had been one of the most real experiences of her life.

That night, Bernice discovered that her son had gotten into drugs. She found him smoking marijuana and was terrified. He was getting ready for bed and Bernice knew she had to discuss the problem with him. Obviously, the boy was highly uncomfortable. As she tried to find the right words to say, Bernice became aware of someone standing behind her. When she looked, Jesus of Nazareth was there. His beard and long hair were as she thought he might look.

He said simply, “I will take care of this boy.” And then he was gone.

Her son worked out his addiction as a result of that presence. Bernice was sure she had experienced a miracle. Never had it been a matter of “aiming” a prayer, but accepting how her need was met.

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WHAT HISTORY REVEALS

BLOG 28 February 21, 2017 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

I have a new weekly radio broadcast over the internet
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           Let’s step back from contemporary stories and put what I’ve been reporting in Biblical perspective. People often forget to look for how the miraculous revealed God’s plans. For example, consider the history of the Jewish people.

The Old Testament is filled with many incidences when the grace of God restored life. For example, the accounts of Elijah and Elisha demonstrated the work of miracles. When Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, fire fell from heaven. This was followed by the miracle of the return of rain that ended a terrible drought. These were examples of miracles of nature where the elements of natural process were affected by the hand of God. The book of II Kings begins with the story of an angel speaking to Elijah (II Kings 1:15) The Old Testament was keenly aware of incidents when angels were involved. We might call these angelic miracles. These events displayed that God continually works in human history. He will use whatever is at hand whether it be the poorest of the poor or slaves in captivity.

The authority of Elijah was passed on to Elisha. Immediately Elisha brought healing to the water supply of the city of Jericho. Again, a miracle of nature. (II Kings 2:19-22). This event was followed by the miracle of the increase of the window’s oil. (II Kings 4:1-7). Perhaps, the most dramatic event was the healing and restoration of the Shunammite’s son who had died. The scripture is clear that the boy was dead, but Elisha covered the boy’s body with himself and the lad was soon alive. Elisha was involved in a miracle of the restoration of life, a resurrection. (I Kings 4:32-37). Elisha’s ministry continued with many such events. Each of these occurrences were examples of redemption.

The Passover celebration marks the extraordinary happenings when the entire nation of Israel was saved from the army of Egypt. The Sea of Reeds (The Red Sea) parted so Israel could cross and closed in on Pharaoh’s military, wiping the army out. The point is that the Jewish people knew well that their history was a story of God bringing justice and equity into the world.

These were not slight-of-hand tricks performed in the desert. Each event was in someway tied to the long range plan of God. In our quest to understand the miraculous, we must keep this history in mind and ponder what it tells us about our own needs. Some of those purposes were understood immediately; others became clear only in retrospect. A few transcended the centuries and are still pondered today. Three thousand years later, scholars still attempt to fathom the full meaning, the nature, and lessons of the Exodus. All of these historic interventions are demonstrations of a divine blueprint for creation.

Your life is part of that plan.

For help with struggles: get a new copy
WHERE THERE IS NO MIRACLE
Robert Wise’s classic on overcoming tragedy

 

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Barbara Yeats

BLOG 27 February 13, 2017 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

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            No one understands any better than Barbara Yeats. Experiencing the real thing forever changed her life. Always a spiritual person, she did not have any anticipation of a divine intervention. While sleeping with her husband Jeff, her perception entirely changed one night.

Barbara wasn’t sure whether she was asleep or not, but she was completely aware when she realized two angels were standing by the bed. The size of the angels awed her. Barbara recognized that the one closest to her was huge.

The angel spoke, “Do not worry abut your parents as we will watch over them. We are not ready to receive them yet.”

Barbara wasn’t sure if she heard with her ears or her mind, but the message was resoundingly clear. She heard plainly and this was one of the most real experiences of her life.

Her husband Jeff suddenly asked. “What’s wrong!”

Jarred by his question, Barbara sat up in bed, but the angels were gone.

For a long time, Barbara told no one about her experience. She feared they would think she was crazy. However, she bought every book she could find on people who had experienced angels. Each one had the same experience of hearing the angels speak but not seeing their mouth move.

Two weeks later, Jeff received a message that they were being transferred to Germany. Barbara immediately panicked. Who would take care of her parents? They needed her oversight. At that moment, the memory of the angelic visit surged through her mind. Hadn’t the angels promised to care for her parents? Was that not an amazing divine intervention? Absolutely! Well before the fact, the angels had come to give her peace about was ahead. Her parents would be taken care of.

The experience changed her life. A conviction about the presence of God had always been there, but this event turned her faith into total assurance. She needed no proofs about her beliefs. The intensions of God were fulfilled.

While the mind of God is inscrutable, we can catch glimpses of his plans and purposes. One of the components in His actions is that the future will be preserved in a positive way. While it always remains a mystery as to why the heavenly Father worked for one person or situation and not another, we can still perceive that the miraculous is always an expression of love.

For help with struggles: get a new copy
WHERE THERE IS NO MIRALCE
Robert Wise’s classic on overcoming tragedy

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Phyllis

Blog 26, 2017 February 6, 2017 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world? Read and you’ll find new insights.

If you are tuning in our radio show, please forgive some of the technical issues we have had with sound. We are working them out!

At age twenty-four, Phyllis had three children. She had come out of a home where her parents struggled with alcoholism. To escape those problems, she married at age seventeen. With the coming of three children was also the awareness that her husband had been a poor selection. Phyllis considered him the handsomest man she had ever seen, but finally realized that he not only didn’t provide help for the family, he never would. The needs of the children and the failure of the marriage left Phyllis in bottomless despair. Phyllis decided to kill herself.

After putting the children to bed for the night, Phyllis went into the bathroom and filled the bathtub with almost intolerably hot water. She found a razor blade to slit her wrist and climbed into the nearly boiling water.

As she settled against the back of the tub, suddenly she began to speak. Her mouth moved. But it wasn’t her voice. Phyllis was speaking in a masculine voice – she wasn’t producing what her ears were hearing. A force within her was producing the words she heard. The “voice” began affirming her worth. Phyllis had never felt valuable to anyone and now was being told that she had great value. Her merit and usefulness were proclaimed in detail. Words came out of her mouth explaining the struggles that she had lived through as child. The mystery of her parent’s alcoholism was resolved and she realized facets of their problem that she had never known. Each of the difficulties of her life were unraveled and she began to see purpose that she wouldn’t have dreamed existed.

Almost in a trance, Phyllis’s “voice” explained the adversities she had faced and kept affirming her worth, her value for the future. Over and over, her importance for tomorrow was described. Deep within her welled up a new sense of usefulness, significance, and merit. Her life was of a far greater importance than she could have ever realized. She pushed the razor blade away and recognized she had a place in the world and an important assignment to fill. Phyllis no longer wanted to kill herself. She had to live.

Her voice stopped. No more words came out of her mouth. And the bathtub water had become cold.

Phyllis went on to become a friend to the poor of the Appalachian Mountains, helping struggling people believe they could rise above their station in life and hope for a better day. Because she was part of the plan of God, Phyllis touched hundreds of lives.

  • For help with struggles: get a new copy
  • WHERE THERE IS NO MIRALCE
  • Robert Wise’s classic on overcoming tragedy

 

 

 

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Leap of Faith

Blog 25 January 30, 2017 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world? Read and you’ll find new insights.

I have a new weekly radio broadcast
over the internet
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/miraclesnow
Then: Miracles with Robert Wise
TUNE IN ON THE INTERNET

            Are there “swindlers” out there? Sure are.

In the movie Leap of Faith, Steve Martin plays con man Jonas Nightengale who travels from town to town bilking farmers out of their money while he fakes miracles. In the town of Rustwater, Kansas, he sets up his nightly show. The town’s people are so taken that when the sheriff reports Nightengale’s real name is Jack Newton and he has continually been in trouble with the law, they won’t listen. Each night the fraudulent healer wearing a silver-sequined coat hops up and down the aisles while an assistant is in the backroom with television monitors sends him messages through an ear piece. The inside information makes Nightengale appear to have special secrets messages from the Holy Spirit.

The turning point comes when Boyd, a boy on crutches, is actually healed. Nightengale cannot believe what he is seeing and runs, leaving the silver-sequined jacket behind. As he travels away in a hitch-hiked ride, Nightengale tells the driver that he knows “the genuine article” and that a real miracle is not to be toyed with. The movie ends as Nightengale disappears into the night.

Interestingly enough, this movie was based on an actual fraudulent ministry of a Pentecostal type who kept his wife in the back room sending him messages through a hearing aid device. The audience was scanned by accomplices who produced information on the unsuspecting. The last time I saw this character on television, he was promoting “miracle spring water” and was still at it. The tragedy of these charlatans is that they demean the actual interventions of the heavenly Father. They reduce the miraculous to a sideshow, leaving people to go home disillusioned.

Equally tragic is that the antics of these types develop skeptics who see the entire scene as a sham. Both conclusions are equally unfortunate. While we acknowledge the reality of the counterfeit artists and the audience that travels with them to pretend a miracle occurred, we continue to recognize that divine intervention has made a dramatic difference in the journeys of a multitude of grateful people.

The key to the “genuine article” is found in understanding the stories in the scripture. As the Old and New testaments relate the stories of miracles, they contain details that are important in grasping how people like Elisha as well as Jesus Christ ministered. Discovering the will of God is one of the first steps that unlocks sealed doors.

Stay tuned. More to come.

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Art Believes in Angels

Blog 21 December 19, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world? Read and you’ll find new insights.

Art Shaw is a fascinating guy. At age 95, he is a retired Army Colonel who fought in World War II and all the conflicts that followed. Art received a serious back injury that required a spinal fusion from L1 to S1. Twenty-two units of blood were needed. A team of doctors and nurses was required to move him in the bed. Of course, any motion was extremely painful. Nevertheless, what the staff called a “log roll” was necessary to prevent pneumonia.

In the middle of the night, Art heard a voice call his name. “Art, it’s time to log roll.” No one was in the room. The voice came again. Because of the pain and serious possible complications, Art knew how difficult it would be. “Art, do what I tell you and your won’t be hurt.” Art intuitively knew to obey.

He opened his eyes and saw something like a black tube extending into infinity. At the top was a bright, concentrated light. With the instruction to turn over came the assurance that they would help him do so. He made the log roll and went back to sleep.

Later in the night the voice called again. “Art, it’s time to roll.” The same assurance that he would be helped was there. He turned over. Easily.

When his wife Joan arrived the next morning, Art told her that he turned over twice.

“Impossible!” she insisted. “You couldn’t have!”

She rushed out of the room to confront the nurse. “What are you giving him?” she forcefully inquired. “What drugs? What pain killers? Is he hallucinating?”

The nurse frowned. “What are you talking about? We didn’t give him any additional medications last night.

Joan dragged the nurse and her assistants back to his room. “He couldn’t have turned by himself! The pain would be too great. Too dangerous. But look!”

The nurse stared for a moment and then ran for the doctor. Dr. Shephard came in. Astonished! There was no medical explanation for how Art Shaw could have been repositioned – but it had happened – twice.

The angel continued to speak several other times. “Art, you will be alright. You’ll be okay.

When Art told me this story, he was relating how he had come to know that a guardian angel was with him. Like a voice speaking inside his head, when his name was called direction followed. Today at important times, Art’s angel always shows up and gives him the orientation that he needs.

Art told me that the Angel always has the same particular tone in voice. Distinct. Individual. Whenever the voice sounds, Art knows who is speaking and listens.

Believe in Angels? Art certainly does.

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A SURPRISE IN THE SKY

Blog 20 December 12, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

I have known Mike and Beth Owen for 25 years. We have worked together, socialized, debated ideas, and watched their children grow up. When we are both in town, Mike and I have lunch together every Tuesday and they remain our best friends. Much of what I report in these blogs comes from personal observation. They shared an experience that has important insights for us.

Beth’s first angelic encounter came when she was fifteen-years-old and her aunt Barbara was dying. The family had already felt the impact of the death of her mother’s brother as well as two sisters and now another sister stood at death’s door. After an urgent phone call, Beth and her mother rushed to the hospital. As they stepped out of the elevator door, the announcement of a “Code Red” rang down the hall. Attendants rushed passed them but they were too late. Aunt Barbara was gone.

As they were leaving the hospital, Beth and her mother were standing at the street corner when Beth looked up. To her astonishment, she saw two massive white angels hovering above them. The angels stood on each side of Barbara.

Beth exclaimed, “Look, Mom! They’ve come to take Barbara home!”

Taller than the city street light, Beth could see the massive size of their waist, legs, and feet as they ascended vertical upward. As they disappeared out of sight, Beth knew her understanding of God’s loving care was forever changed. The comfort of an all comprehensive peace settled over them.

These early experiences caused Michael and Beth to anticipate divine interventions in their ministries. They were conditioned to expect far more than simply sharing theological answers and teaching the faith. Their ministries have encompassed a number of miraculous events.

While it would be jarring for many people to expect the Holy Spirit to take them to an entirely new realm of experience, the Owens would say that’s the best place to encounter the miraculous. Mike and Beth discovered an interesting axiom about the work of the Holy Spirit and divine intervention. When one receives a spiritual gift, it is important to use it. If not, the gift diminishes and can virtually disappear. On the other hand, the use of a gift often opens the door to the reception of other gifts. The same is true for miraculous encounters. The Holy Spirit works consistently in this way.

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