Needed: A Quiet Miracle

“Expect a miracle.” What do you think of that phrase? Christian friend, do you pray expecting God to act, or are your prayers lukewarm expressions of vague desires, offered from a place of wishful thinking? Francis Chan, in his book, “Forgotten God” teaches us about the Presence; God, the Holy Spirit.  The implied question in the book’s opening is this: Who do you believe can better manage your life - the Holy Spirit or you?  If we believe that God is Who He claims to be, we should be able to trust Him without question and when we present ourselves, our lives, our hopes, our fears, to Him we should expect a miracle!  No, we must not demand that He act in a certain way, but we ought to expect that He is at work on our behalf.  Do you?

I sometimes awaken around 2 or 3 AM and, at that hour, there in the dark, the challenges of life – my own and those of the congregation I serve – can bring on fear and a sense of helplessness.  As consciousness overtakes sleep, I adopt a prayerful posture, turning my hands up to God, open palms as in surrender as I pray something like this - “Lord, my faith needs Your strength. Naturally I can only see my inability to control or change the things that concern me. Please give me the courage I need to throw myself into the fight. Give me the wisdom to know to whom I should turn, the vision to know where to lead, and stamina to stand. Help me to conquer unbelief and to live with real joy today. Let me see You at work.” And, I expect a miracle!

If we become Christian agnostics (think about that phrase, friend) we may live as if Jesus only died so we can go to Heaven, but we will act as if He cares nothing for us in this life!  In that place were are vulnerable to all kinds of temptation. The Devil applauds when we become so full of our own resources that we no longer ask God for our ‘daily bread.’  Remember the tragic story of the failure that cost Moses the privilege of leading God's People into the Promised Land?  (Numbers 20)  Thirsty, desperate people demanded the impossible: “Give us water now!” They attacked Moses and Aaron asking, Why did you bring us out of Egypt to this terrible place? Moses went to prayer and God gave him the solution: "Go out and speak to the rock and it will pour out water!" However, Moses held onto the sting of the accusations that he was failing as a leader.  In a self-centered moment he let resentment boil over as he went back before the people who doubted him, accused him, ... and he sinned.

The rest of that story sobers me as I think of how subtly the sin of arrogance crept up on that man of God. “He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.  But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." (Numbers 20:10-12)  By implying that he, not God, was producing the water needed, Moses dishonored the Lord. It’s understandable, but God found it unacceptable!

He dishonored God by taking too much responsibility on himself!

What a powerful lesson for me. Our true Source is Jesus. He is our Rock and from Him pours the waters that bring the fruit of the Spirit into evidence in me and you. Let’s choose to honor Him by declaring our dependence on Him. Defeat Devilish lies. Destroy the fear that produces anxiety and sleepless nights by looking to Jesus in humble confession of your dependence. He knows how to make you wise so you can meet the demands of your boss. He knows what you need to meet the needs of your family. He knows what your needs are TODAY. Expect a miracle!

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Make my life a prayer to You,

I want to do what you want me to,

No empty words, no white lies,

No token prayers, no compromise,

I want to shine the Light You gave,

through Your Son You sent to save us,

from ourselves and our despair,

it comforts me to know You're really there.

Well, I want to thank You now
for being patient with me,

Oh, it's so hard to see, when my eyes on me!

I guess, I'll have trust and
just believe what You say,

Lord, You're coming again,
Coming to take me away.

Make My Life A Prayer

Melody Green © 1978 EMI Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music

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