God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!
— Ephesians 3:20 MSG
I crawled back into my tent that night, both astonished and extremely perplexed. Was it possible? A young boy miraculously brought back to life. The registered nurse accompanying our team on this trip to the rainforest made the pronouncement a few hours earlier. Malaria had claimed yet another victim, a small boy only 3 years old.
Having made the trip to Peru to build a house of worship for a recently evangelized tribe of jungle-dwelling natives, we were days away from anything resembling civilization. with no electricity, no running water or any such conveniences that we take for granted, it took about 10 days to complete the mission before navigating the miles and miles of river back to an ice-cold bottle of Coke and an air-conditioned hotel room in Iquitos.
Before leaving the next day, we were taking part in the inaugural service dedicating the rather crude church structure we had built (mansion-like to them), when an entire tribe of 20 or so people abruptly stood up and walked out. Moments later, we learned of the child’s death and stopped in our tracks to do the only thing we knew to do: pray. Joining hands, we prayed for God’s touch to bring comfort.
Around three hours later, we heard someone in the distance hollering, seemingly frantic. Crawling out of our tents, we gathered together, wondering what in the world was going on? What was he saying? The voice continued shouting out, drawing ever closer. Looking for our interpreter to translate, we needed to know how to respond. Are we safe? Do we stay put or run for cover? Her words were clear: “The boy is alive.”
Sleep was elusive, as you might suspect. A thousand doubting questions ran through my mind that night 15 years ago. Did the nurse make a mistake? Did the boy die or were his vitals just too weak to detect? Did I witness a bonafide miracle? I won’t attempt to draw any particular conclusion to this story. I will leave that to you. What I can say and do know, however, is this: lives were touched in a most dramatic way. Personally, my life was changed forever from that moment forward to know and embrace a God who, with just one touch, “can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”
Do you need such a touch today? The resurrected savior we celebrate stands ready, right where you are, willing, wanting and able to fix whatever is broken in your life? It’s what he does every day. In fact, before you finish reading this devotional someone, somewhere will come to know and recognize him as their Savior. Might that be you? It can be. Ask him.