Special miracles go beyond what would normally be called a miracle.
Acts 19:11-12 – And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
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Note our Text for Today. “God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.” We know God wrought miracles through Paul. He raised the dead; that would entail all three power gifts of the Spirit in operation (gift of healing, gift of working of miracles, gift of faith). But, once again, in our Text for Today, we read the term “special miracles.” Let’s look more closely. If Paul had laid hands on someone, or spoken directly to them, ministering to them personally, miracles could still have taken place. If someone was completely healed of some incurable disease, or a limb was restored, it would still have been a miracle. But we read that God did “special miracles” by Paul’s hands. So, what was it that made certain miracles “special?”
Paul was what we call today a bi-vocational preacher. That is, he was a tent maker by training for a trade. In that work, he would have often worn an apron. That work, as well as the ministry of a preacher, and even simply walking or standing on a hot day would cause one to sweat, and for that, Paul would have carried a handkerchief, or a sweat rag. In both cases, these were pieces of cloth that had come in contact with Paul’s flesh; cloth he would have naturally touched in the normal operation of the day. Now think for a moment. Do you remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood? She received her healing when she touched the hem of Jesus’s garment. That was clothing that He wore, that had come into contact with His flesh, and when she touched the cloth, the anointing that was in Him, that had also permeated His clothing, flowed to her, becoming a contact point for Holy Spirit to perform a special miracle.
That is what happened with handkerchiefs and aprons taken from the body of Paul. He was anointed, as Jesus was anointed; as you are anointed. Jesus was yielded to Holy Spirit, and so was Paul. Are you? Jesus had said that those who believed in Him would do what He did. Just as special miracles were performed through Jesus, they were performed through Paul. Are you available for that? While neither you nor I can perform miracles of any kind at will, we are anointed. It’s up to us to yield the anointing(s) the Lord has given us to the work of Holy Ghost. He will not force Himself upon us. It is only when we are yielded that He will use our anointings. I urge you today; yield yourself and the anointing(s) in you to Holy Spirit. Make them available to Him. When you do, He will be able to do through you as He did in Jesus and in Paul.
Manna for Today – Acts 19:11-20; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Luke 4:18-21; John 14:12-14
My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 