Everyday Miracles...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 4:35AM 
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend.
Now on to my topic...
My son Jake shared an insight with a friend recently that deeply ministered to me. This friend is in a tough work situation. His boss is relentless, always looking for faults, mistakes, and foibles to highlight, and she never offers encouragement. The constant and unrelenting criticism has taken a toll on this young man. Maybe you know what it's like to be barely tolerated instead of lovingly celebrated.
The young man said this to Jake, "I need a miracle. In fact, I need a miracle that I can't explain away. If I look back over the recent years, I can see plenty of ways God showed up and moved on my behalf. He has provided when we needed it most; He has opened doors I could not have opened myself. Yet, the truth is, I don't have to try too hard to find a logical explanation for each and every one of these instances in my life. What kind of man of faith am I? If this is a test of my faith, I'm surely failing."
To that, Jake replied, "A friend recently challenged me to look at miracles from another angle. Take the time Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, for example. The obvious miracle is that God multiplied a lunch to feed thousands and thousands of people. However, isn't it also a miracle that so many people sat down in community and broke bread together? People who probably would not have otherwise come together, did so because they all sought Jesus. They sat down on the hillside and shared a meal. Together. When I look at you and what you're currently walking through, here's what I see: you are in an impossible situation at work, yet you come home each night and you love your wife. You ask her how her day went and you listen to her. You're in an impossible situation at work, yet you're still tender to the things of God, still care whether or not you have enough faith. I'd say those are the miracles in your life right now. Just look at your situation from a different angle, God is there and He is doing something great in you."
Wow. Jake's insight blessed me beyond words.
Maybe this word is for you today as well. If it's been a while since you've seen God move in your midst, scoot in a little closer and look at your situation with a fresh pair of eyes. You're still in the fight. You still want more of God. You still manage to be kind and loving to others though your own heart is breaking. Those are miracles in the most beautiful sense of the word.
God is with you. He is for you. And in due time, you will see Him do something big, something grand, if you continue onward and do not give up. But for now, hold close the everyday miracles. They are every bit as significant as the water-parting, death-defying kind.
He is with you. He has not looked away or lost your number. May you see Him in fresh new ways today.
~Until next week.
Reader Comments (19)
With this new perspective, I'm going to start tracking the "miracles" we're seeing in the hope that we'll not lose our faith or encouragement in the low times. Thanks for always speaking the truth in an encouraging way, not the kind of way that weighs you down.
The KTIS verse of the day today is so relevant to this post! 1 Cor. 1:8 - He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
It's like He's saying, "Just keep doin' what you're doin'. I'll work out the details."
There are times when I think I'm waiting for that "big miracle". Then I remind myself of all the little miracles that I never saw before my salvation. I'm just in awe everytime I see a sunrise - to be able to experience God's beauty! Or what about the car that turned right instead of left (and didn't cause a head-on collision)? That would be a miracle that I may never see until Heaven!
Thank you for this encouragement today. It is an excellent reminder to see God at work in all the details of life, even in the hard daily grind of it all. It's been a bit of a struggle these past couple months as I've gone from cancer patient to survivor. I could easily list for you the many ways God did miracles of all sizes and shapes in the time since my diagnosis and thru treatment, but the months following became difficult and it was easy to feel like He was far off or silent.
Thank you for the much needed nudge to again take things one day at a time, with grace abundant for that day, always looking and finding His hand at work.
Thanks for your post. You are so right. We have to be intentional about looking for Him, and He promises that if we look for and seek after Him with all our hearts, we will find Him! Bless you!
Such a wonderful insight. When we move too fast, we miss the little things. When we stop noticing the little things, we feel entitled to the big things. A significant component of joy is the wonder and awe of noticing God in the moment. May we always marvel at His goodness. Bless you, sister!
Thanks so much for your testimony! I couldn't wait to tell Jake about it. May God continue to fill you with hope, joy, and perspective. And, at just the right time, may He deliver your husband out of his current situation and lead him to a promised-land-place-to-work. :) Bless you.
What an amazing and beautiful testimony. Wow, thanks so much for sharing it here! You are so right, God delivers us so many treasures that we miss. I thank God for your grandfather's legacy and for the wonderful ways God wooed you to Himself. What a beautiful soul you are! Bless you.
We celebrate your recovery from that wretched disease. My husband is a cancer survivor as well. May God Himself lift you up and make you strong. And may He restore every moment and every shred of energy cancer took from you. May you enjoy a renewed zeal for life and for the Lord. You are His treasured possession. I'm glad He gave you more time on earth to fulfill His purposes for you. Bless you!
Thank you for sharing your story! May God grant you the desires of your heart and may He continue to strengthen you in the meantime. May your eyes see all of the wonderful ways He is moving in your midst, and may you know His love in a way that goes beyond anything you've ever experienced before. Bless you!
I have been out of work for almost 3 years. I can't begin to tell you all the ways God has met my needs. But there are plenty of days where I wonder, "What is the purpose in all this?" I worked in a church office and was laid off after almost 20 years. I was not qualified to receive unemployment and as of today, I am still debt free! I have learned so much about trusting God. Early on in this "adventure", read Psalm 50:15 (NLT)in my devotions. "Trust Me in your time of trouble and I will rescue you and you will give Me glory." He has been there for me and promised to rescue me. While I wait, I continue to give Him glory and share with other what He has done in my life.
May God continue to lead you onward. May He give you clarity, grace, and a strong sense of His mighty hand holding yours. Bless you, dear!
So blessed by your words! May God fill you up with a fresh sense of strength and joy. May He overwhelm you with His love and grace. And may He give you a strong sense of what's yours to carry and what's His. Bless you, dear!
I so appreciated you post! Bless you! And may you press on in His Name. May God continue to reveal Himself to you in miraculous ways, both great and small. May He open up a way for you where there seems to be no way. And may He boggle your mind with His goodness and provision. I love how He does that. :) Bless you.