“And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
Acts 9:21-22 ESV
Brian was the kind of kid that the other kids avoided at school. They made sure to keep their distance in the hallways, and dreaded bumping into him on the walk home from school. Bus drivers and faculty seemed to turn a blind eye as this boy took out his anger on student after student. No one really knew where the anger came from, nor was there any way of predicting who would be Brian’s next target.
But God’s hand was working in Brian‘s life. For reasons that were never quite clear to the students who knew him, Brian attended a Christian summer camp one year. He underwent a dramatic, sudden, life-altering change. Whispers preceded him at school that fall: something’s different… Brian has changed… he’s nice now… It was understandable that a number of students kept their distance and maintained their vigilance for a while. The stories going around about Brian now seemed too good to be true.
But even Brian was not too big of a challenge or too big of a miracle for God. Once God got a hold of him, a great change took place, and his life was redeemed for God’s work. All these years later, Brian still counts among his circle of friends those who once were afraid of him, and he shares his faith with anyone who will listen.
The parallels to the apostle Paul are obvious. For good reason, Christians feared him and mistrusted reports that he had changed. Their trepidations were understandable, but at the same time, many of them had witnessed other great miracles of God – why was this one so hard to grasp? It all came down to the power of fear, a tool that Satan all too often wields against believers.
God’s work is still characterized by miracles, and among the greatest of these are the redeemed hearts of ones that by man’s measure were lost. The scripture tells us that there is great rejoicing among the angels in heaven when a sinner repents (See Luke 15:7). In the grand plan of eternity, miracles like Brian are among the most important.
Don’t forget that you yourself are a miracle and that you are surrounded by miracles. Thank God for what he has done for you, and remember to pray for those who seem hopeless and irredeemably lost. Maybe there is someone who has been on your prayer list that you’ve given up on. Add them back to that prayer list, and remember that God can work a miracle through them as He did for Paul, Brian, and countless others.
Oh! I read this this lunchtime, in Bristol, England, and I am in tears, as it resonates so strongly for our situation with our 14-yr-old son, Peter, who is going through an adolescent crisis of such depth that, this week, he has talked to the school nurse about feeling suicidal. This morning he told me he has now had three days of “feeling like shit”. He — once such a sunny, marvellous boy, was beaten up in school last year, and toughened himself up as a consequence, made friends with one of his attackers, spent the summer months trying out cannabis, and is now anxious and depressed, and badly in need of a strong dependable friend or mentor. He was baptised, as an Anglican, along with his twin sister, when he was 10. So he has the protection of Jesus, and many people in our church have prayed for him through the last several months, and continue to do so. Peter nearly went this late Summer on just such a Christian ‘summer camp’ but, alas, did not. I pray constantly for a breakthrough in his mind, and daily pray to God for the Holy Spirit to protect him and keep him safe. Our National Health Service is a helpful but slow-moving old thing and Peter has not been able so far to have the support of a skilled psychiatrist or psychotherapist, as I would wish him to. Only today, our curate emailed to offer to come round to see Peter for a friendly chat. I pray here that God will now move powerfully in Peter’s life , just as He did in Brian’s life, and in St. Paul’s former life. Thank you, Patrick, so much for these emailed newsletters. The Christian journey is an incredible one.
Rosalind, so sorry to hear about your son’s struggles. That is such a hard age and it’s heartbreaking as a parent to watch your child struggle. Praying for redemption in Peter’s life… these hard years can become part of his testimony and God can use them for great good.
I am so very sorry to hear about your son, Peter. The adolescent years can be so difficult for teenagers. So much peer pressure, and they do not have the tools to adjust at times. God and Jesus dearly love your son and they will take good care of him. I pray that an excellent therapist, clinician, doctor, mentor, life coach,or friend will become a part of his life to help your son heal from depression and suicidal thoughts, and to begin a renewed thrist for life. I pray that the burdens your son is experiencing is removed from his life in a miraculous way.
… Remember to be grateful… you are a true Miracle! Be thankful for the many Blessings in your life, and do not become upset when things seem to not be going your way… Perhaps there is a reason for this, and another better blessing is waiting to appear in your life. Our Saviour has a way of working things in our favour, even though we cannot understand this at the moment… we sometimes just need to be patient!
Amen, Kit. It can be so hard to be patient but the Lord has good plans for us.