Hands of Grace; No Fingerprints

Some years ago I gave a presentation at a young adult gathering on Sabbath afternoon. I stayed after my lecture to listen to a vespers sermon by Jon Dybdahl. At the end of his sermon, he talked about God’s power to heal. Then he invited anyone present who needed special healing to stand. A number of people stood, including a young man in the row in front of me.

Next Dr. Dybdahl asked those sitting near someone who had stood to stand also and place our hands on the people needing healing. I stood and put my hand on the shoulder of the young man in front of me. Dr. Dybdalh prayed, and we sat back down.

After the service was over, the young man came over to me. It was his first time hanging around Adventists. The friend who had brought him said I was a preacher. Could we get together and talk sometime that week.

“Sure,” I said and gave him my card.

When we sat down to talk on Wednesday he told me he had felt the power of God flow from my hand all through his body. He had been suffering from severe back pain. He was healed, immediately and completely.

I had felt nothing at all.

I don’t know what would have happened if when Dr. Dybdahl had prayed no one had been standing there with their hands on Mike’s shoulders. I do know Mike felt God’s power and my hands were involved. Apparently God did not need to inform me of what he was up to.

* * * * *

It’s something like that in church. North Hill Adventist Fellowship is an agency of God’s healing. People have experienced release from addictions. They have found solace. They have found new hope. The people of North Hill have been agents of heaven. Through your hands God has touched many with his grace.

You might think, “I’ve never been part of a miracle.” You may never have felt God’s power flow through you as others received healing. Still, even though you may have been completely unaware, you have, indeed, been agents of grace. How? Let me count the ways.

Right now we have fourteen people on our cleaning teams. How likely is it that anyone would hang around here long enough to encounter God if no one cleaned the toilets? If no one vacuumed the lobby, mopped the kitchen floor or emptied the garbage cans?

Every time you’ve pushed a vacuum, every time you’ve washed a window, every time you’ve given attention to some small detail of cleaning here in this building, you have participated in the work of God. You have been an indispensable part of the ministry of God.

A week or two ago a college student sent me a message saying he had appreciated a recent sermon. He lives at college. He hasn’t been here at North Hill for over a month. How did he hear the sermon? On line. Which means that if he got anything out of that sermon God’s power must have passed through the hands of Jeff Keating or Kirsten Dovich at the sound board. Then it passed through the hands of Randy Wiser who posts the sermons to the web.

That student probably did not notice Jeff’s, Kirsten’s or Randy’s finger prints, but they were there.

People occasionally show up here at church talking about the landscape. They have noticed the slow emergence here on this corner of the classiest, most attractive landscaping within many miles either way on Meridian Ave. These people don’t know Wayne. They have no idea of how much time he has invested here. And the hundreds of hours a few others have invested as well. They can’t see the fingerprints of the volunteers who planted and weeded. They do see the handiwork of God in the beauty of the landscaping.

I could tell similar stories about people affected by those of you who are here consistently, touching children with programs and smiles and affection.

Lives have been transformed because some of you have the skills and take the time to make wonderfully good food for our potluck dinners creating an atmosphere of welcome and ease.

Fact is, every part of God’s kingdom depends on invisible hands.

One of the greatest stories in the Old Testament is set up by the words of a young woman whose name is never given. The maid of Naaman’s wife suggests to her mistress that a prophet in Israel could cure Naaman’s leprosy.

Naaman was a VIP. Like Colin Powell or the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Defense. He was SOMEBODY. He goes to Israel for the cure. The prophet Elisha heals him. It is a fantastic story with lots of drama. Great characters–the kings of Israel and Syria, the prophet Elisha, Elisha’s servant Gehazi. The story ends with the conversion of Naaman to the worship of the God of heaven and the end of endless war between Syria and Israel.

It’s all set up by a nameless maid, doing her job, unnoticed, unheralded.

In the New Testament, the fantastic miracle of Jesus feeding 5000 people is set up by a kid with no name who hands over his lunch. I’m sure that kid could see nothing extraordinary about his five pieces of bread and two fish. Sure the food was going to taste good. He was not unhappy about his lunch. But he had no idea that his meager lunch held enough food for thousands to eat and be satisfied.

He just handed over his lunch. God fed the crowd.

Don’t spend too much time trying to spot God’s activity. Don’t be over-concerned how significant your labor is or how powerful your hands are. Just speak up for God when you get a chance. Hand over your lunch when it’s needed. Do what you can where you are. When you know it or not, you're acting as an agent of grace. Your hands are the conduits of miracles. God moves through you while you are busy doing what needs to be done.

So do it.