Miracles or Ordinary
I was talking to a special spiritual mentor, Father Ted Nelson, and he made the comment that the miraculous should be normal. We are intended to expect miracles. I always feel a little envious when I read about the early church and all the amazing things that happened. Acts 2:43 describes how, Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. I can tell you that in my almost 40 years of being a Christian I have never witnessed the kind of miraculous healings that I read about in the book of Acts. I have met people who have and I believe their witness, but I have never seen that kind of miracle in a church service or prayer time I have attended.
I wonder, “Why aren’t there more miracles in our church meetings?”Even as he was talking, I thought about the private miracle that I had been askingfor God for all week. I had a difficult meeting scheduled and I knew that a miracle—asupernatural act of God—was the only way this impossible situation couldgo well. I discretely asked others to pray with me for this miracle. Father Tedmade the comment about miracles the day before the meeting, and it revved upmy faith that a miracle would happen the next morning. I wasn’t askingfor myself; I didn’t want to get glory from this. I knew the miracle forwhich I was praying was in keeping with God’s published will—HisWord. I spent extra time literally on my knees in prayer asking God specificallyfor the miracle I was seeking.
Then I had the meeting. It went better than I had thought it would go, even thoughmiracle didn’t happen the exact way I has asked. I have to say I was disappointed.In spite of the fact that I obeyed the direction I had been given by the HolySpirit by leading the meeting the way He led me, regardless of the way I hadfaith to expect miracles, the outcome I had specifically prayed for did not happen.
After it was over I asked God why there wasn’t a miracle. He opened myeyes to see that there was a miracle, just not the miracle I had prescribed.You see, God does not do miracles on demand. God does not force miracles on peoplewho aren’t ready to receive them. Just because I was ready and had faithto expect a miracle didn’t mean that it would happen the way I thoughta miracle should happen. God had me look again at the miracle He did that morning.I did see signs of the miracle in progress. I saw that my obedience to His leadingdid bring about the miraculous in that the normal didn’t happen. God’spresence was in that meeting, and He is still at work through the words thatwere spoken and the prayers that were prayed. God is not on my timetable whenit comes to miracles.
I say I don’t see miracles in church services. What about the miracle oflives transformed through a profession of faith in Jesus Christ? That is probablythe greatest miracle anyone could witness, and I have seen that miracle in churchservices and in one on one conversations I have had with people. Miracles arehappening every day; I want to become more aware of them.
How sad for God that I so often overlook the miracles that He does for me allthe time. Respond to Dr. Newman's article |
