Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202318S
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00:01 >> Welcome to It Is Written
00:02 Canada. 00:02 Thank you for joining us. 00:04 Today we are looking at what it 00:05 means to pray for a miracle. 00:08 >> It is only when you feel your 00:10 need of a saviour that your 00:12 heart will go after the only One 00:14 who can help you. 00:16 >> When Jesus, for example, was 00:17 among men, it was the sick, of 00:19 course, who wanted a physician. 00:22 >> The poor, those who were 00:23 hurting and suffering, hunted 00:25 for Jesus. 00:26 They chased after Him and 00:28 pursued Him to receive the help 00:31 and comfort they knew they could 00:33 not find anywhere else. 00:35 >> One blind man named 00:37 Bartimaeus was waiting alongside 00:39 a busy road for a very 00:41 long time. 00:42 He was waiting to see Jesus. 00:44 >> His heart longed to meet the 00:46 Saviour. 00:47 >> Crowds of people who 00:48 possessed their eyesight walked 00:50 right past Jesus, even brushing 00:52 shoulders with the Saviour. 00:55 But they had no desire to be 00:57 healed by Jesus. 00:59 >> Just one look of faith would 01:01 have touched the Saviour's 01:03 heart of love, and delivered to 01:05 them the blessings of His 01:06 amazing grace. 01:08 But they didn't see the sickness 01:10 and poverty of their souls. 01:12 They felt no need of a saviour. 01:14 >> This was definitely not the 01:16 case with Bartimaeus, the poor 01:19 man who was waiting on the side 01:21 of the road. 01:22 His only hope was in Jesus. 01:25 >> As he waited and watched, he 01:27 heard the pounding of many feet, 01:29 and he eagerly asked, "What is 01:31 happening?" 01:32 [MIKE] And the bystanders 01:33 answered, "Jesus of Nazareth is 01:35 passing by." 01:36 [RENÉ] His heart beat 01:37 uncontrollably and with an 01:40 intense desire, he cried, 01:42 "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy 01:44 on me!" 01:45 >> Imagine the people were 01:46 struggling to silence him, but 01:47 Bartimaeus cried even louder, 01:51 "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy 01:53 on me!" 01:54 >> Jesus heard his appeal and 01:56 his persevering faith was 01:58 rewarded. 01:59 [MIKE] Not only was his physical 02:01 eyesight restored, but the eyes 02:03 of his understanding were 02:05 opened. 02:07 [RENÉ] The first face Bartimaeus 02:08 saw was the face of his 02:10 redeemer, and the Son of 02:12 Righteousness shone into 02:14 his soul. 02:15 >> Everyone who feels their need 02:17 of a saviour, as did Blind 02:19 Bartimaeus, and who will be as 02:22 serious and determined as he 02:24 was, will, like him, receive the 02:26 blessing that they crave. 02:28 >> Today, our special guest on 02:30 It Is Written Canada is Elmer 02:33 Manzanares, who prayed, 02:35 "Lord, show me a miracle." 02:38 >> But he got far more than he 02:40 asked for. 02:41 >> It was definitely not what he 02:42 expected. 02:44 In a moment, you will hear 02:46 his story. 02:49 [theme music playing] 02:52 ♪♪ 03:28 [hopeful piano music playing] 03:32 ♪♪ 03:38 >> Pastor Elmer Manzanares, 03:40 welcome to It Is Written Canada. 03:41 >> Thank you very much. 03:42 It's an honour to be here. 03:45 >> Pastor, before we begin, can 03:47 you tell us a little bit about 03:48 yourself and your family and 03:50 where you're from? 03:52 >> Sure. Thank you. 03:54 I was born in Nicaragua and I 03:57 married about 21, 22 years ago, 04:00 I am losing my count already. 04:03 But we have four children. 04:06 A daughter who is a nurse, she 04:08 lives in London, Ontario, and 04:11 three younger sons who are at 04:14 Burman University. 04:16 Two of them are studying 04:18 theology. 04:19 They want to become pastors 04:20 as I am. 04:21 And the-- one of the twins is 04:26 taking psychology. 04:27 I have been in the ministry 04:29 since 1996. 04:33 That-- I think it's about 27 04:36 years since I am working in some 04:38 kind of ministry within 04:40 the church. 04:41 >> We're talking about miracles. 04:43 As a pastor, you've probably 04:45 seen some miracles, 04:47 Pastor Elmer. 04:48 >> Yes, I have seen a few 04:49 miracles, more than a few 04:51 actually. 04:53 Since I am a young person, I 04:55 survived an earthquake when I 04:58 was 12 years old and I saw 05:00 people, you know, houses 05:03 crumbling down and our house 05:06 remained, in the whole 05:08 neighbourhood. 05:10 I also experienced a war in 05:14 Nicaragua when I was 19, and I 05:17 saw people dying, being killed, 05:21 people being burned. 05:23 And I experienced how the Lord 05:26 preserved our lives. 05:28 So I have seen extreme 05:30 circumstances in life and I have 05:32 seen lots of miracles. 05:35 But I haven't seen or 05:39 experienced the-- a personal 05:42 healing in my life. 05:44 And as a pastor, you know, I 05:47 preach about Jesus Christ. 05:50 Very often every weekend I am 05:52 preaching about His miracles and 05:55 how He was able to resurrect 05:58 individuals and give sight to 06:03 the blind. 06:04 And I think yes, I believe that 06:06 I believe all of those stories. 06:09 But I believe that the times in 06:13 which we are living, it's 06:15 necessary for pastors to be able 06:19 to experience miracles so that 06:22 we can pray with greater 06:23 authority and greater faith. 06:26 So there was a point when I 06:28 came and I was convicted that I 06:31 needed to pray to the Lord to 06:33 allow me to experience or to see 06:36 a miracle so that I can tell it 06:40 and preach about it with greater 06:41 authority. 06:44 >> So from the time you were 06:45 young, you witnessed miracles on 06:47 the outside, war, earthquakes, 06:50 but you were requesting a 06:52 miracle of healing, a personal 06:54 miracle of healing. 06:55 You wanted to see that. 06:56 How was that prayer request 06:58 answered? 06:59 >> Well, first of all, I need to 07:00 explain that I prayed that kind 07:03 of a prayer for several weeks, 07:06 and I was expecting that miracle 07:08 to, not from me, but from 07:12 somebody who is at a hospital 07:15 with some kind of cancer and 07:17 maybe seeing that kind of 07:18 healing. 07:19 One morning I went to visit our 07:23 Red River Junior Academy School, 07:27 and I decided to spend time with 07:28 the young people and play some 07:31 baseball with them. 07:34 My kids, two-- three of my kids 07:37 were playing in the opposite 07:39 team. 07:39 I was pitching and they have a 07:42 friend who is very strong. 07:44 He was at the bat at the moment. 07:46 So I pitched the perfect ball 07:49 and the kid hit the ball and it 07:52 landed right on my forehead. 07:55 It was very painful. 07:57 I felt like crawling on the 08:00 ground. 08:02 It was extremely painful, but I 08:04 didn't want to, you know, make 08:06 the scene and it was 08:08 embarrassing. 08:10 I remained having a headache for 08:13 about 45 minutes, maybe an hour 08:16 after that. 08:17 And then it went-- would go 08:20 away and it came back after. 08:23 It was extremely painful. 08:24 It's one of those hits that you 08:28 take in your body that are 08:30 incomparable in your lives. 08:33 But about two or three weeks 08:35 after, I went to an optometrist 08:39 and he said that I, that he saw 08:42 something strange, I had a lot 08:44 of floaters in my eye. 08:47 And he said that that is a sign 08:49 that I was gonna lose my sight. 08:51 I didn't want to believe that. 08:54 At moments I was seeing a little 08:56 bit blurry and I didn't pay 09:01 further attention to it. 09:03 It was a period of time when 09:04 there was a lot of dust in the 09:06 environment, and I thought it 09:08 was, you know, because of that. 09:11 Eventually, about three months 09:13 after that incident, I went to 09:15 Andrews University 09:18 to take a few classes. 09:20 And while I was in a break, 09:23 I experienced a retinal 09:26 detachment. 09:27 I completely lost my vision. 09:31 I went to the doctor and when I 09:34 was rushed into the hospital, 09:35 the doctor said, "It's too late. 09:39 Your retinal detachment has 09:41 happened for the last 24 hours, 09:45 which means that we don't have 09:46 to rush you into an operation 09:49 because it's too late and we're 09:52 going to--" 09:53 So he made an appointment for 09:55 two or three days after that. 09:57 And of course, it's horrible to 09:59 lose your sight, although it was 10:01 only one side, it was the 10:03 right side. 10:06 It is an extreme emotional 10:10 experience. 10:12 That night I decided to spend 10:14 some time praying in an area of 10:21 the university that has a lot of 10:23 trees, you know, close to 10:24 nature. 10:26 I remember asking the Lord, 10:28 "Lord, I asked You for a 10:29 miracle. 10:31 I didn't remember about this, 10:33 and I think this will be a 10:35 wonderful opportunity." 10:37 But this is not a moment when I 10:39 am smiling. 10:40 I am actually crying during this 10:42 period of time and I'm asking 10:43 the Lord, "It would be wonderful 10:46 if You give me a miracle of 10:49 return my sight again." 10:52 And I prayed for about four 10:54 continuous hours. 10:56 I got up at 4:00 in the morning, 10:58 more or less, and I couldn't cry 11:01 more, I couldn't continue asking 11:03 for more. 11:05 In spite of the pain that I was 11:07 going through, it was one of 11:10 those moments when you feel the 11:12 presence of God. 11:14 And I got up after 4 hours of 11:17 long prayers, feeling that I was 11:20 going to be able to experience 11:22 a miracle. 11:23 Eventually I went to the 11:25 operation and when I got up from 11:28 that operation, I had a massive 11:31 headache. 11:33 And I asked the doctor to allow 11:34 me to continue sleeping. 11:36 I was in terrible pain. 11:38 They gave me medication 11:41 for pain. 11:43 Twice I fell asleep and then I 11:46 realized some time after that 11:50 the nurses were saying, "Elmer, 11:51 Elmer, you have to get up. 11:53 You have to get up." 11:55 It's like they were saying you 11:57 cannot continue sleeping. 11:59 It's too long. 12:00 You have to react. 12:02 And so I got up. 12:03 "I was concerned," the doctor 12:05 said, "because people who react 12:08 the way you were reacting means 12:10 that you are rejecting 12:11 completely the operation." 12:13 That-- the process was that they 12:15 will take all the fluid of my 12:17 eye and then they will put a 12:20 liquid or gas in form of liquid. 12:23 I don't really know all the 12:25 procedures or the names of this 12:27 procedure, but basically he 12:32 thought I was rejecting the 12:33 whole process. 12:35 You know, after 15 days, during 12:39 those 15 days, actually, I saw 12:41 liquid, you know, coming down 12:44 on my eye. 12:46 And finally I saw last drop 12:48 there. 12:49 But when I was maybe one quarter 12:53 down, I saw for the first time 12:57 the top of a tree. 12:59 And to me, that was basically an 13:03 answer to my prayer. 13:05 When it was halfway on my 13:07 eyeball, I was able to-- I asked 13:11 one of my classmates to, you 13:14 know, put whatever finger, 13:16 number of fingers he could and I 13:18 counted and we all celebrated. 13:21 Of course, they were also 13:22 praying for me, and we 13:24 celebrated because I was able to 13:26 count the fingers. 13:27 To me that was an answer to a 13:29 miracle. 13:30 However, I had to go through 13:33 several procedures, at least two 13:35 more operations. 13:36 It was a long process, and I 13:40 began to pray again, "Lord, 13:42 please don't allow my vision to 13:46 be lost again." 13:48 And so eventually I went to the 13:51 third intervention, which was a 13:54 laser kind of procedure. 13:56 It has been three years 13:57 since then. 13:59 And every day of my life, for 14:01 the last three years, I have 14:02 been experiencing what I called 14:05 a micro miracle. 14:07 Every day, every day. 14:09 Now, you have to understand, 14:10 when the doctors say you will 14:12 never gain your sight again. 14:15 And after the third 14:17 intervention, they say your 14:18 sight will never be the same. 14:22 And you see certain patterns and 14:25 you are praying with faith 14:27 because you believe the Lord is 14:29 going to give you sight. 14:31 I am able to read my Bible 14:33 without glasses. 14:35 I believe the Lord has done that 14:39 kind of miracle. 14:41 I am able to see clearly over 14:44 the last few years, two years, I 14:47 have seen people being distorted 14:49 to being completely well-formed 14:54 and I am able to see clearly 14:57 certain, to a certain distance 15:00 better than with my left eye. 15:02 So I can say today that I have 15:04 experienced truly a miracle in 15:07 my life. 15:09 This is, this takes greater 15:12 reality. 15:13 When I hear the specialists say, 15:17 "You won't get your sight," and 15:19 in spite of those diagnosis or 15:21 prognosis, I am able to see, 15:25 I am able to read my Bible. 15:28 You know, the Bible has small 15:29 letters. 15:30 Well, I am able to read them and 15:32 every day continue to improve 15:36 the quality of my vision. 15:37 I praise the Lord for that. 15:41 >> Pastor Elmer, what you have 15:44 experienced is clearly 15:46 a miracle. 15:48 How do you understand what God 15:50 has been doing for you through 15:52 these "micro miracles" that you 15:55 refer to? 15:57 >> I believe the Lord doesn't 16:00 only answer to prayers, but He 16:03 answers to the life of 16:05 individuals. 16:07 God is interested in eternal 16:09 life, in giving us something 16:12 beyond what we asked for, and in 16:15 the process He is interested in 16:17 transforming our lives. 16:20 I believe that micro miracles 16:23 were necessary for me to learn 16:24 many other things. 16:26 It was through these experiences 16:28 that I have come to realize the 16:31 importance of being patient. 16:34 Patience is one of the greatest 16:36 things that I have learned. 16:37 This reminds me of a story in 16:39 the Bible where on one occasion 16:43 a blind man asked to be healed, 16:46 and the Bible says that Jesus 16:49 spat on a little bit of dust and 16:53 He touched the eye of the 16:54 blind person. 16:56 And then He asked, "Are you able 16:58 to see?" 16:59 And the blind man said, "Yes, I 17:01 can see trees like-- I can see 17:04 people like trees walking." 17:07 And so He touched again and then 17:10 he said he was able to see. 17:12 And that is one example of the 17:16 miracles that Jesus made. 17:17 You know, in my growing, 17:20 spiritually growing process in 17:22 life, I always wondered why on 17:25 that occasion Jesus performed a 17:28 miracle and it took two stages. 17:31 And I think that I have 17:33 experienced that at times the 17:35 Lord does that because He wants 17:37 to teach us other things. 17:39 Some of the things that I have 17:41 learned is how to take care of 17:42 my body. 17:44 You know, there is a close 17:45 connection between body and mind 17:48 and joy and happiness and peace. 17:51 And so in the process, I have 17:52 learned to take care of my body. 17:55 I have been able to lose 50 17:57 pounds in the last three years 17:59 because of the experiences of 18:02 losing my sight. 18:03 And so that meant that I am also 18:06 learning how to be a better 18:08 individual, how to exercise, eat 18:12 properly, and try to understand 18:15 the holistic aspect of health 18:18 in my life. 18:19 And all of that has been a 18:21 blessing to me and consequently 18:24 a blessing to my, the members of 18:26 my family and to the members of 18:29 the churches I pastor for. 18:31 >> As a pastor, how has this 18:34 miracle affected your ministry? 18:38 >> Oh, it has affected 18:40 positively and greatly. 18:43 I am more sensitive to people 18:45 who are suffering. 18:47 I feel a great responsibility to 18:49 visit people who are in the 18:52 hospital or to people who are at 18:56 home unable to come to church. 19:00 This experience has helped me to 19:02 be more loving and caring, more 19:05 sensitive, and how to give 19:07 encouragement to people. 19:09 I remember while I was in the 19:11 hospital, my kids would call me 19:13 sometimes and, as I explained 19:15 before, you go through deep 19:17 depression and feelings of 19:19 loneliness. 19:21 And when my children called me 19:24 several times at the beginning 19:25 of this experience, I asked them 19:28 if they could share a verse of 19:30 the Bible that could 19:31 give me hope. 19:33 And so this time I was the 19:37 patient. 19:38 I needed a pastor. 19:40 And I asked my children to share 19:43 whatever verse of the Bible so 19:45 that they could bring me 19:47 hope again. 19:48 And I experienced the effect of 19:50 sharing those verses that 19:54 strengthened our faith. 19:56 And because of that, every time 19:59 I go and visit a person, a 20:01 family, either while they are 20:04 sick or going through 20:06 difficulties spiritually 20:07 speaking, I always share 20:09 a verse. 20:11 I always pray for them and tell 20:13 them either my personal 20:15 testimony or stories from the 20:17 Bible to strengthen their 20:19 personal life. 20:21 I think it is important for a 20:23 pastor to be able to bring hope 20:26 and new beginnings to people. 20:29 >> What would you say to someone 20:32 who has prayed for a miracle 20:34 and they didn't get that? 20:38 >> I appreciate that question 20:40 because we serve a God who knows 20:44 everything from beginning to 20:45 end, and sometimes He answers 20:48 positively what we asked for, 20:50 but other times He doesn't. 20:52 And when He doesn't answer 20:54 according to our expectations, 20:56 we can be sure that He's always 20:58 looking for the best for us. 21:01 And whenever He doesn't answer 21:04 according to our expectations, 21:06 He will give us the strength to 21:08 be able to continue being strong 21:11 and keeping faith without 21:13 receiving that which we 21:15 asked for. 21:17 >> So I'm interested in the 21:19 doctor, the doctor who told you 21:22 you're never gonna be able to 21:23 see again. 21:24 What is he saying now? 21:26 >> Well, I haven't been able to 21:28 see that doctor, the doctor for 21:30 one year already, actually, for 21:33 about six, seven months. 21:35 The last time I saw him, he 21:37 said, "Well, I'm not doing that 21:39 much for you." 21:40 He said, "I'm going to just ask 21:43 the secretary to make an 21:45 appointment for you 21:47 in one year." 21:48 So I said that my eye has 21:52 improved greatly and he was a 21:55 little bit cold and he said, 21:56 "Wonderful, good." [chuckles] 21:58 That was it. 22:00 But since then, my eye, my 22:03 vision has improved amazingly, 22:06 amazingly. 22:07 It's-- I think I'm gonna end up 22:10 seeing much better with my right 22:11 eye than with my left eye. 22:15 So we'll see when I see 22:16 him again. 22:17 >> If you think of a biblical 22:19 character that you can identify 22:20 with, who would that be? 22:23 >> I like to think about, very 22:26 often I think about that 22:28 occasion when Paul asked the 22:30 Lord to take away that thorn in 22:34 the flesh. 22:36 You know, that's amazing, 22:38 because when you consider Paul 22:40 was a huge person in the New 22:44 Testament. 22:46 He was preaching all the time, 22:47 he ended up writing 14 books of 22:50 the 27 books of the New 22:52 Testament. 22:53 He was an amazing person. 22:55 Yet he had an issue physically 22:58 and he asked the Lord 22:59 to take it away. 23:01 And the answer was, "My grace is 23:04 sufficient." 23:06 In other words, he didn't 23:07 receive what he's expected. 23:10 But he was able to keep that 23:14 faith and be faithful to the 23:16 end of his life. 23:18 And that is a great testimony of 23:20 how the Lord gives us the 23:23 strength to continue fighting 23:25 with the issues and difficulties 23:27 of life with faith. 23:30 >> Pastor Elmer, one final 23:33 question. 23:34 Is there a Bible verse that has 23:36 helped you to move forward in 23:38 your faith with God? 23:40 >> There is one verse in Psalms 23:42 37, verse four. 23:44 It says... 23:49 On occasions, we don't have a 23:52 request of miracle in our lives, 23:55 but we might ask the Lord to 23:56 give us success at university to 23:59 obtain a degree or to protect 24:02 our children. 24:04 And that verse really is a 24:07 wonderful light in my life. 24:09 It's conditional. 24:11 It implies first, obedience. 24:14 "Delight yourself in the Lord" 24:16 means have a relationship 24:18 with God. 24:20 And a relationship that brings 24:22 delight to your life and then He 24:25 will give you the desires of 24:26 your heart. 24:27 And what greater desire. 24:28 You know, as a parent, one thing 24:30 that I ask the Lord is, bless my 24:33 children, protect them, surround 24:36 them with Your protection, give 24:38 them success." 24:39 You know, those are the greatest 24:42 requests from a parent. 24:44 But if you are a young person 24:46 trying to achieve success in 24:48 life, well, delight yourself in 24:51 the Lord and He will give you 24:53 the desires of your heart. 24:54 That is the best outcome you can 24:57 expect in this world. 24:59 >> That's beautiful. 25:00 Pastor, as we close off, I 25:02 wonder if you could pray for 25:03 our viewers. 25:04 Maybe there is someone who is 25:05 thinking God only worked 25:07 miracles in Bible times, but I 25:10 haven't seen Him work a miracle 25:12 in my life now, and maybe they 25:15 need to see this. 25:17 >> Sure. 25:18 Let's pray. 25:20 Dear Heavenly Father, we want to 25:22 praise Your name for You are so 25:24 amazing. 25:26 Today I've been asked to pray 25:29 and I think about thousands and 25:31 thousands of individuals who are 25:34 watching It Is Written Canada, 25:37 and they will hear this 25:38 testimony and realize that You 25:41 are real, that You come and 25:44 answer our lives to our lives. 25:48 In other words, prayers don't 25:50 answer only the request, but 25:52 answer to the life of the person 25:54 who is requesting. 25:56 And dear Heavenly Father, as You 25:58 have given me this experience to 26:00 tell a story about Your power 26:02 and Your loving kindness, I 26:05 pray that You will bless each of 26:08 the people who are watching this 26:10 program today, and I pray that 26:13 You will send Your Holy Spirit 26:15 to be close to them, to 26:17 encourage them to ministered to 26:19 them, and to bring peace and to 26:21 give them according to the 26:23 desires of their hearts. 26:25 All of this things we ask in the 26:27 name of Jesus, amen. 26:29 [MIKE & RENÉ] Amen. 26:31 >> Pastor Elmer, thank you so 26:33 much for sharing your story with 26:35 us on It Is Written Canada 26:37 today. 26:38 >> Thank you. 26:39 It is an honour for me to be 26:41 here today. 26:45 >> In the darkest days when 26:46 appearances seem most 26:48 forbidding, have faith in God. 26:51 >> He is working out His will, 26:53 doing all things well in behalf 26:56 of His children. 26:57 >> If you're feeling like the 26:58 wheels are falling off and your 27:01 life is becoming unglued, or if 27:03 your wheels are simply spinning 27:06 and you're not getting anywhere, 27:08 you will find solutions to these 27:10 and many more setbacks in this 27:12 little book, our free offer, 27:14 Help in Daily Living. 27:16 >> This practical guide to 27:18 experiencing abundant life will 27:20 help you face financial fears, 27:23 relationship challenges, 27:25 unexpected crises, people who 27:27 just keep getting on your nerves 27:29 and countless other obstacles 27:31 that periodically block 27:33 your way. 27:34 Before you go, we would also 27:36 like to invite you to follow us 27:38 on Instagram and Facebook and 27:40 subscribe to our YouTube channel 27:43 and also listen to our podcasts. 27:46 And if you go to our website, 27:48 you can see our latest programs. 27:50 >> You, too, can experience the 27:52 fullness of life that is found 27:54 in the words of Jesus when He 27:56 said, "It is written, 'Man shall 27:58 not live by bread alone, but by 28:00 every word that proceeds out of 28:02 the mouth of God.'" 28:04 [inspirational music playing] 28:07 ♪♪ |
Revised 2024-01-24