Extraordinary miracles
Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Acts 19:11-12
Miracles in Greek word is dunamis, which means explosive, dynamic power. Despite the fact that miracles are already extraordinary, today's key verse describes the "unusual miracles", which are the extraordinary of the extraordinary. Normally, healing the sick requires laying hands, but Paul simply transferred the power through handkerchiefs or aprons.
What makes these miracles unusual? In Greek, “unusual” is "tugchano", it means "hit upon", "shooting an arrow", literally God's power shooting upon Paul, so the extraordinary power of God flows through Paul's ordinary hand. It implies that God's power takes Paul by surprise.
The word "worked" in verse 11 is also noteworthy. The word comes from the Greek word "poieo", which means creativity, and aside from ordinary miracles, God can perform “creative miracles”. Furthermore, Greek grammar is a continuous tense, which implies that these extraordinary and creative miracles were not reserved for the Apostolic ages. It was just the beginning, and God's miracles certainly continue to be performed today.
Few years ago, a famous prophet prophesied from the pulpit that my right leg would grow back. He told me that one day when I look down, I will have ten toes. The congregation was excited, but I remained calm and whispered to a sister next to me, “Actually, I’m fine with one leg.” However, the sister corrected me, “This miracle is not for you but for God’s glory!" “ She is so right.
Paul performed these miracles for what reason? He was in Ephesus, a city devoted to pagan gods and obsessed with supernatural activity. As a result, God unleashed His power on Paul and performed miracles that were totally out of the ordinary. Miracles can give God glory, and their powerful manifestation allows us to reach people we are called to influence.
As Christians, we believe in miracles and God is a miracle worker. God may hit us with the extraordinary power flowing through our ordinary hands when we allow Him to use us as He wishes.
Blessing prayer: We make ourselves available for You to unleash Your power through us. With our hands open, we invite your extraordinary power to flow through us for God's glory. In Jesus’ name, amen
