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John 9:10-11 – "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." (NIV)
As a biology professor at a Christian university, I often set aside a few minutes of a lecture to share with my class one of the miracles of healing described in the Bible. This practice is to encourage my students to relate what they are learning about the human body to what God needs to do to correct certain disabilities or infirmities, such as blindness or leprosy. Over the years, students have thanked me for this foray into the supernatural, but the following e-mail that I received last semester stands out from all the rest.
- Hi, Dr. Chiang. I think it's fascinating that we are learning about the anatomy of the ear in class. I've attached a personal testimony of a miraculous healing of my ear recently (last week!). I thought you'd appreciate hearing about it, knowing the miraculous accounts you've begun each class with. God be praised! – Jordan
I can't really say that my first reaction to this news was one of joy. I was probably a bit surprised or even sceptical. Did a modern-day miracle really take place? What actually happened? I scrutinized Jordan's personal testimony, and pared down his healing experience to this following account. He writes:
- As he placed his hand on my back, fiery heat shot straight through my athletic jacket, dress shirt, t-shirt, and onto my skin in a moment's time…. Joy started to well up inside of me… as Caillan prayed. … Using the best words I know how to use at this time to describe what happened next, it was like a large, blocked funnel, [which] had served as my range of hearing in my right ear my whole life, … was eradicated or "pulled back". … All of a sudden, I jerked up my head and began to look around the room at each person in the room with my jaw gaping. I could hear perfectly clearly!
This account may not be enough to convince the sceptic that the supernatural exists and that physical healings do take place, but this event has had a tremendous impact on one young man's walk with Christ. For a teacher hoping to encourage the faith of his students, Jordan's testimony is a golden moment, a moment I will remember long after the course is done and the students have graduated. "God be praised!" As the previously blind man proclaimed to the Pharisees, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25 NIV)
Miracles are miracles simply because they don't always happen and they don't occur on demand. But as Christians, we must be open to all that God can do for us.
Prayer: Our Lord, Saviour and Healer, in our busyness to serve You, we often forget that You have good in store for us, if only we ask. Whether our need is biological or psychological, spiritual or physical, we pray for the courage to ask and the audacity to believe that You still work through miracles. In Your name, we pray. Amen.
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Wednesday, April 17, 2024 – In Toronto, Ontario — Praise God for the Alpha series at Knox Presbyterian Church, Toronto, Ontario, as they conclude the series today with over two dozen guests and many supporters. Pray that God may continue to bless and guide them and bring lasting results for Christ in the lives of guests and helpers.
Prayer for P.: "Update April 15, 2024; Please keep praying for P to find new accommodations.**March 22, 2024: P is..." 
God’s miracles overwhelm us.
Thank you for this.
Beautiful! Thank you Gary Chiang.
Wonderful reminder Gary.
Thank-you Gary for sharing this lovely story. Miracles haven’t ceased, have they!
Good morning: Thank you for today’s Devotional.
Bless you for giving God the glory for His healing miracles!
Dear Dr. Chiang,
I loved your devotional that you wrote for today, I am in tears.
Thank you so much for sharing it.
(Ohio, USA)
Dear Gary,
I really enjoy your story “A Modern-Day Miracle”.
Thank you.
Dear Gary,
I believe in miracles happening today. Thank you for sharing this real life experience.
It also happens that I have assisted with many surgical operations involving the middle ear; it’s creation is one of the marvelous gifts given to us by God.
(California, USA)
Hey Gary what an amazing and inspiring devotion.
I can assure you that miracles can happen. In fact do happen each day. I really was thrilled by reading your devotion today. Keep writing and be an inspiration to everyone everywhere you sure was to me.
God bless,
(Trinidad)
Thank you so much for your message today! It is a great source of joy for me who has experienced His awesome touch in my body and in my life. Those of us who share His message need to hear of His miracles in the now – 2012/2013, and that miracles happen in the GTA, not always in some far-off place.
Thanks again, and happy teaching!
(a retired teacher)
Dear Gary, my husband died of cancer. My miracle was that God rescued him and brought him home. This story is both believable and exciting as I continue to feel anticipation in the healings and miracles that will continue to happen for friends and loved ones. Thank you for your encouragement.
Dear Gary;
It is so true that we talk of miracles happening and then when one does happen. Isn’t it funny how our minds revert to questionable thoughts? That is indeed a powerful testimony; we need to hear a lot more of these, especially in today’s society. Thank you for sharing wonderful healings with your students. May God continue to show you His miracles.
A beautiful testimony revealing the truth that God indeed is the great physician and healer. Over and over again we see the hand of God intervening and granting many of His loved ones healing, very often with the assistance of doctors and nurses he has chosen to be part of his great medical teams, giving His children a second chance to enjoy more time, here on earth, with their loved ones.
A beautiful testimony of your faith in the Living God.
Blessings.
Thank you Gary for today’s devotional. It gave me hope . I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November last year and scheduled for operation Jan.25. Please remember me in your prayers.
God bless you.
Always affirming Gary, to hear of miracles at first hand as well as from others testimony.
No doubt in my mind that Father answers prayers for miraculous happenings, just as in Jesus’ time on Earth; with the possible caveat of John 15:7.
“But if you remain in Me and My Words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.”
Personally I fellowship with Jesus Followers, most, if not all, of whom most could testify to miraculous happenings involving self or others, ranging from hearing recovery to incurable diseases being cured after the medical profession had given up all hope!
I fully believe that around the world many thousands of miraculous events happen every day, as a result of faith filled saints petitions. I know for a fact that during this past summer my wife and I should have been killed or crippled as a result of a collision that was only avoided as a result of miraculous Heavenly intervention, thank God.
Faith being the operative word, fully supported by Love, Obedience and Worship (FLOW).
Many blessings in your ministry in 2013.