“Have you ever seen a miracle?” I asked Stan one morning.
“I have,” he replied. “And I see the same one over and over.”
“Same miracle over and over?” I replied. “What’s that mean?”
“Every time I look in the mirror, I see a miracle. Every time I reflect on what God has done for me in granting me the assurance of salvation, I see a miracle.”
Continuing, he added, “Every time I see how God is allowing me to know Him more intimately in a personal relationship, I see a miracle.”
“Why are those things miracles?” I asked.
“You don’t know me as well as I do,” he replied, “but I can tell you without a doubt that for me to be where I am in my relationship with God, to be there from where I was, is nothing short of a miracle.”
“And,” he added, “I see this as similar to what happed with Jesus when He returned to His hometown of Nazareth.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Well,” Stan replied, “there was a point when Jesus went home and the people basically saw Him as nothing more than the son of a carpenter. They wondered about Him, but they didn’t believe He was anything special.”
“So they kind of missed the point?”
“Big time!” Stan replied. “And as a result of their unbelief, it is recorded that Jesus didn’t or couldn’t do much miracle work.”
“Same with me,” he added. “The miracles Jesus has done in my life are a result of my belief. I believe, therefore, God has a free hand in doing what He wants to do in and through me. No belief, no miracle of conversion and no miracle of being able to know God more intimately.”
“You think those things really qualify as ‘miracles’?”
“If you only knew, you wouldn’t ask!
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Bible verses to consider:
And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58.
And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands upon a few sick people and healed them. Mark 6:5.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your provision of salvation and redemption through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. For me to have the assurance of life eternally with you when it’s time is nothing short of a miracle. You know where I was, separated from you, and you know where I am now. Thank you for that miracle! Please help me in following your lead into the ever-deepening relationship you have for me while I wait to step into your eternal presence. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you experienced the miracle of salvation and redemption? If not, why? If you have the assurance of salvation, do you really consider it a miracle? Why or why not? If you are walking more closely with God than you were in the past, do you consider that also a miracle? Why or why not? Would you like to have a closer relationship with God? Do you know how that can happen?
Waiting for the Train 