This week I am writing with a special joy, as we have just welcomed our third child, Jonathan Lincoln Jackson, into the world! The name Jonathan means “the Lord has given,” and he is truly a gift from God along with our other two children, Juliana and Josiah. My wife, Christin, and I feel so blessed, and we view our family as a testament to the miraculous power of God!
You see, by natural standards, our family would have never even come into existence. When Christin was just four years old, doctors found a malignant tumor behind her left eye. She was diagnosed with a very severe form of cancer known as rhabdomyosarcoma. The situation was so bleak that doctors told Christin’s parents her chance of surviving was, at best, only 5%. Thankfully, however, Christin’s parents knew they did not have to settle for the doctor’s report; they knew God had a report that was much better for their daughter!
They asked God to heal Christin, believing He had a special plan for her life. Instead of meditating on the doctors’ report, they meditated on Bible scriptures that proclaimed the healing power of God. They quoted scriptures like Isaiah 53:5, declaring that by the stripes of Jesus, we are healed. They also prayed fervently and enlisted the prayers of believers who would stand with them in faith. They relied on Jesus’ words from Mark 11:22-24: “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Through it all, God was faithful to His word, and He healed Christin completely of the cancer! She was able to not only survive, but go on to live a healthy, abundant life. Now, more than 30 years later, the fact that she is raising a family of her own is truly a miracle. In the natural, few people could have envisioned our family portrait today. But Jesus said, “With God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
We can certainly say as the psalmist did, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad” (Psalm 126:3). Let our story encourage you today. Are you facing a situation that looks impossible? Have you or someone you know been given a bad report? Know that God is greater than your need! He is not limited to natural standards or possibilities! He raised up a little girl with a 5% chance of survival and has given her an abundant life with a beautiful, healthy family of her own. Just think what He can do for you! He is able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Believe God, trust in Him, and see your need as an opportunity for God to demonstrate His greatness! 
Reflections 