Heaven’s Heartbeat - The Three Pagoda Miracle
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.”
Psalms 77:11 (NLT)
God reminds us to remember. And you know why.
When it comes to marking and taking note of all that the Lord has done in us and for us and through us, most of us are notorious forgetters. But when we make the effort to remember God’s deeds and His grace toward us, we reproduce the joy of His goodness. Your memory is a reproducing tool to encourage your faith in Jesus. Is it any wonder Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” every time we come around His New Covenant table of communion?
Today I am remembering a verified creative miracle—really a series of miracles—during one of our free medical missions, led by Dr. Lorna Schumann. On this occasion, 14 of us rode in a van from Bangkok to Three Pagoda Pass, in Thailand.
We slowly made our way out of the densely populated and inner-city pulse of Bangkok, with its towering skyscrapers and busy street vendors, packed with people and traffic.
Fighting jet-lag, we drank strong Thai coffee as we finally left the city behind. Concrete, crowds and congestion began to give way to rich farmland, stretching out as far as one could see. A few hours later, the scenery changed to lush green forests and rolling hills, with small villages and towns dotted along the way. In the distance, we could see the rugged, jungle-shrouded mountains forming the border between Thailand and Myanmar.
Soon we were traveling along the famous River Kwai (pronounced Khwea), as well as the infamous Burma railway, built by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, at the cost of tens of thousands of American, British, Australian, and Dutch POWs and civilians. It became known as “Death Railway,” for obvious reasons.
This dark backdrop was the stage the Holy Spirit would use to provide care for more than 600 people in our triages, and hundreds more in refugee camps, Baan Mai village, and the River Kwai Hospital, deep in the jungle near Three Pagoda Pass.
The area is home to a mix of Thai, Burmese, and other ethnic hill tribe groups, their Buddhism mixed with animism and folk magic traditions, leaving many of them broken and bruised by the spiritual darkness.
The first supernatural event happened when we were given permission by the head Buddhist monk to set up operations in the Wat Protona Temple grounds—a stunning miracle, by any account. Each day we passed through tall bamboo gates to be greeted by a large Buddha and the tiered towers of golden-spired pagodas.
Psalm 24 came to mind as our band of Jesus-followers passed through those towering gates:
“Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and the King of glory enter.”
Inside the temple grounds, many people waited for us. Most had walked, some for miles, many very ill and barely able to carry themselves.
Fourteen team members cared and prayed for hundreds of people over the course of the week. It was hard work and long days. We set up a pharmacy, exam station, vision clinic, and dental care, all ultimately leading to a medical provider. And we prayed over and anointed each patient.
On the last day of triage, at the end of another long day, three of us left the temple area and walked down the hill to the bamboo gates, where we anointed them with oil.
As we prayed, I paused and read Psalm 24 out loud:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle. Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—he is the King of glory.”
A while later, we returned to the triage area. When we arrived, it was abundantly clear that the Holy Spirit had energized the team. They began excitedly telling us what had just happened while we were at the gates praying.
The last person to come through triage was a young man who was born unable to speak—mute from birth. His elderly parents were with him, and as usual the team had questioned them about their need, wrote out details for the doctor, and laid hands on the young man and prayed for him.
He instantly began to speak. In fact, he began chatting away so much that his parents nearly fell out of their chairs. Everyone was very excited and animated. There was a big stir. We also had many monks around watching us each day, usually 6-15 in number, and they quickly came over to see what the commotion was about. When they learned what had just happened, the eight monks asked the team to pray for them and with them—to know Jesus.
Remarkable? That hardly describes it. The ancient gates had opened, and the King of Glory had entered the Buddhist pagoda with power.
This creative, Jesus-glorifying miracle established a seedbed for the Gospel among the monks in this remote region. I am prompted to share it with you because we are entering days when it is essential to remember we serve the Most High God, who specializes in things thought impossible.
The word “remember” appears in the Old and New Testaments approximately 250 times. In both Hebrew and Greek, it has the idea to call to mind, and even rehearse something until it is ingrained in your thoughts. You and I must take care not to lose the Word in those rocky, thorny, hard places, and among the seed stealing-evil powers in each season of our lives (see Matthew 13). Go back over the territory of your life and remember the goodness of the Lord.
And mark this: Every time you celebrate the Lord’s Table, you are remembering His death—until He comes. That is the life-transforming miracle that you participate in with other believers.
The Apostle Peter got it, and the Holy Spirit moved him to write these words to the Church for the second time, to help them remember.
This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.”
2 Peter 3:1-2 NLT
And while you’re in the third chapter of 2 Peter, don’t forget to read the rest of the chapter.
It’s worth remembering for the days ahead.
- Micah
