This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus.” Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
Read John 11
We have been looking at the story of Lazarus for weeks. In our last message, I talked about the concept of God getting “maximum glory” out of the situation, and I mentioned how I have a personal testimony to share about it. I like to teach by both principle and example. Today I will use Isabella and I as an example of this point.
This is a testimony of the goodness of God, and I will tie it to the miracle of Lazarus. When Isabella and I got married, she was an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army, and I was an officer. I had previously been a noncommissioned officer and an enlisted soldier myself. By that point, I had already transitioned from a noncommissioned officer to an officer. Isabella was a noncommissioned officer, and I sought the Lord concerning whether or not she should become an officer. Around this time, the Army was about to institute a ban on officers marrying enlisted soldiers, and as things worked out, we got married right before the ban.
I asked Isabella about her long-term goals because, at the time, she was a supply sergeant, which I didn’t believe was a long-term assignment for her and our family. She told me that her grandmother always wanted her to be a nurse, but she wanted to be a physician’s assistant (PA). She said she could either be a PA or a nurse, either in the Army or out of the Army. As a new husband and leader of my household, I put it in prayer and asked the Lord about it.
Incidentally, while I was praying about this, I was teaching from John chapter 11 on Today’s Word, covering the miracle of Lazarus. The Lord told me clearly that Isabella would be a nurse in the Army. To connect this revelation to the story of Lazarus, it would be similar to when Jesus found out that Lazarus was sick. As soon as He was told “the one He loved was sick,” the Father gave Jesus a revelation of the outcome. Jesus believed the revelation and said out loud, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God, that the Son of God would be glorified thereby.” In like fashion, I believed what God said, and I went to Isabella to share it. I told her what the Lord told me: that she would become a nurse in the Army. To me, this was a Word from God, and it was as much a “Word” as anything written in the Bible.
We started looking into the ways Isabella could become a nurse. We found a program called the Army Enlisted Commissioning Program (AECP) for nursing, and Isabella began the application process. One of my friends, a medical services officer in the Army, informed me that thousands of enlisted nurses applied for the program, and Isabella would face an uphill battle since she was not in the medical field. Despite this, we prayed and continued forward. My friend then mentioned that he knew a retired general who was the former Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. He said, “I can get you a letter of recommendaiton from her, for Isabella’s packet. With that letter, I am sure Isabella will be selected!” We initially rejoiced at this opportunity. I gave God the glory. We were so elated! However, remember, I was teaching from John chapter 11, and when I got to the point in the story where I am today, about “maximum glory,” the Holy Spirit told me not to take the letter. I immediately knew why. Basically, if we took the letter, the retired general was going to get the glory (the credit) for Isabella’s selection and not God. I knew we would have to rely on our faith and believe in God for this.
My friend was in 1st Cavarly Division with me. So I drove to his office to tell him, “Thank you, but we cannot take the letter.” When I told my friend, he warned me that without the letter, Isabella would not be selected for the program. He straight-up said, “If you do not take this letter, Isabella will not get selected. She is a Supply Sergeant, and the Army Nurse Corps will pick enlisted nurses over her.” When he said this, a righteous indignation rose up inside of me, and I said, “Now I know for sure I will not take the letter, and I also know that Isabella will be selected. This will be a greater testimony because of what you just said. I will be talking about you for years, as I give this testimony!”
Long story short, Isabella was selected to the glory fo God. Then we had to battle the Army on what school she could attend. The #1 nursing school in Texas was 20 minutes from our home, but the tuition exceeded what the Army allowed. To another long story short, Isabella was eventually allowed to attend her preferred nursing school, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, despite the tuition exceeding the Army’s limit. We paid the difference, and she began her two-year nursing program.
In this part of the story, Isabella was enrolled in a rigorous nursing program with a high attrition rate, starting with around 50 students but only graduating about 22. She was performing well in all her classes except for one, an OBGYN course that proved to be particularly challenging. As her final exam approached, she faced the possibility of failing the course and being removed from the program. If she failed, the Army would send her back to being an enlisted soldier. I knew this could not happen because of what God said, “She would be a nurse in the Army.” This is similar to the Word Jesus was standing on for Lazarus.
In the end, Isabella passed the final exam and became a nurse in the Army. There are many parallels and lessons to be learned from this testimony and the story of Lazarus. The power of faith, perseverance, and trust in God’s plan can lead to miraculous outcomes in our lives.
So what’s the message in the mess for this morning? I have already shared a great deal, but here are a few nuggets.
1. Faith in God’s Word and promises: Just as Jesus had faith in the Father’s word when He received the revelation about Lazarus, I also believed in the word God spoke to me about Isabella becoming a nurse in the Army. In both cases, unwavering faith was required. We had to believe God’s Word in the face of evidence to the contrary.
2. Obedience to the Holy Spirit: Jesus followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the story of Lazarus, and I had to do the same by choosing not to accept the letter of recommendation. This act of obedience allowed God to work in our situation, just as Jesus’ obedience led to the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.
3. God’s glory and divine timing: In John 11:4, Jesus said that Lazarus’ sickness was for God’s glory, and in our testimony, God was glorified as well. In both cases, the testimony unfolded over time. In both situations, God’s divine timing was evident, as He orchestrated the perfect circumstances to showcase His power and faithfulness.
4. Trusting God in difficult situations: In the story of Lazarus, Jesus trusted the Father even when He faced the seemingly impossible situation of raising Lazarus from the dead. In like manner, we had to trust God at several points in the story of Isabella becoming a nurse. You will have to do the same thing.
5. The power of prayer: Both the story of Lazarus and our testimony demonstrate the importance of praying, hearing from God, and then NOT WAVERING from what God said. In each case, prayer played a critical role.
6. God’s sovereign plan: In both our story and the story of Lazarus, it is evident that God had a sovereign plan. God knew what He was doing. Jesus knew that Lazarus’ death would result in a resurrection miracle, and we knew Isabella would become a nurse. Why? Because that is what God said. It’s not about us. It’s All About HIM!
7. Persistence in the face of doubt: In John 11, Jesus faced doubt from His disciples, as well as Martha and Mary, Lazarus’ sisters. Similarly, I encountered doubt from my friend and several people along the way; especially when I said Isabella would be selected without the letter of recommendation. In both instances, persistence in faith led to triumph over doubt.
8. You can’t just know God from a book: The miracle of Lazarus was such a powerful experience that all who saw it, or learned of it, were changed forever. Similarly, this experience with God helped Isabella, and I believe God on another level. When you experience God in real life, you get to trust Him in ways that just reading about Him will never provide!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
My faith is being built up as I study and meditate on the miracles. You performed through Jesus.
There are messages in the miracles, and these messages are helping me to believe You, Father, on another level.
I don’t just know You from a book. I know You from real-life experiences. You are a real God who deals with real people, with real problems, in real ways!
My heart is OPEN to experiencing You, Father, in greater ways in this season. I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
