This session at Fruits of Faith Bible study I prayed for two things before we started: 1. For a creative healing miracle and 2. To see the angel messenger who would deliver the healing.
God answered both. Here’s what happened:
- Creative Miracle
We are no stranger to adversity. Like the rest of you, the women in Fruits of Faith fellowship carry many burdens. This particular woman’s struggle involved the health of her daughter. This little girl had a mass discovered on medical imagery after she suffered from an excessive amount of bleeding. To make matters more complicated, her precious daughter is autistic. The doctors agreed, they must operate.
My friend was devastated. She worried about the long-term prognosis as well as her daughter’s immediate pain and discomfort.
I prayed with her. We discussed the power of belief. We claimed the promises of God. We bound the enemy that planted seeds of doubt. I advised her to take every doubtful thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.
Then news came that the mass had disappeared. A few weeks later, however, the original set of doctors said, “Not so fast.” They weren’t going to acquiesce to a miracle when science had already spoken.
We clung to the uncertainty, however, to keep our hopes alive. Then one day she approached me in tears. “Sara” she choked out, “the mass is gone. The doctor said it’s no longer visible on the scan. The doctors are baffled. They don’t understand how this could happen. They actually asked me, ‘What God do you pray to??’ So I answered, ‘Jesus, I pray to Jesus!’”
- Angel “Appeared”
Near the end of the study session, I was talking to another friend about the exciting things happening in the ministry. In the midst of the excitement, I dropped my phone. I’ve dropped my phone a hundred times without incident. Not this day. To my dismay, the screen completely shattered.
Later in the week, I looked down and noticed something I hadn’t before. What you see above is a rudimentary tracing of how the screen broke. I didn’t add any details. In fact the details were so intricate I couldn’t trace them all. What you see below is the actual screen.
I immediately told my friend what had happened. She had a thought-provoking reply. Her response began with “If it had to break…”
Huh. Why did something have to break for me to “see” what appeared to be an “imprint” of one of God’s angels? I’m not about coincidences. My life is firmly rooted in belief of God’s promise to answered prayer. So why this way?
Her response provoked more than thoughts, it actually tied God’s answers to my prayers together.
- The Answer
The creative miracle and broken screen “angel” reminded me that more often than not, we are only able to see God working when we are broken. The Holy Spirit told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
In other words, God’s best works are done in our vulnerability. Why? When we need Him most is when His glory can be most prominently displayed in and through our lives.
How many times do we cry out to God in our comfort? If my life is any testament, not as often as we cry out to God in our brokenness.
In John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind. The Jewish teachers speculated that his infirmity was a result of sin in his life or his parents’ lives. Jesus’ response? “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him (John 9:3).
Jesus said, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3).
Just like my friend, this man’s brokenness gave opportunity for God’s miraculous works. God emphasized this point to me by answering my prayer through a “broken” screen.
4. The Lesson
Being broken is a humbling experience. But humility is where we meet God. Scripture teaches, “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor” (Proverbs 29:23).
Whether through a creative healing or an unconventional answer to prayer, Jesus’ glory is made apparent when He can transcend our brokenness. Our brokenness can also give God opportunity to do miraculous works.
Our brokenness can also give opportunity for God’s miraculous works.
Pray, ask, and believe in the power and willingness of God to act through your brokenness. And all praise glory and honor to God when He does (because He will!).
Like my friend’s daughter and the blind man, the works of God were displayed through their brokenness. God answered my prayer in part through a broken screen, reminding me that it’s in weakness where God is most visible.