Thursday, April 21, 2011

Miraculous Intervention

I  have just been baptized with a fresh belief in the miraculous! Actually, I guess I've been baptized with a fresh realization of exactly HOW MUCH I truly believe in the miraculous! The definition of a "miracle" is:
1. an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
2. such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of god.
3. a wonder; marvel.
4. a wonderful or surpassing example of some quality: a miracle of modern acoustics.
Now its a truth to say that when we awaken each morning it is indeed a miracle. That I don't go insane some days is a miracle. That Fall, Winter, Spring, & Summer keep happening is a miracle. These come under the category of "a wonder". They are "miracles" because of God's involvement. God created our bodies to function in a sleep/wake cycle, God gives me the inner peace to pull myself together on difficult days, God created the earth, light, seasons... These daily occurrences are INDEED miracles that I thank God for! I acknowledge His hand at work in our lives on a daily basis and my goal is not to downplay these extraordinary events.
However, we cannot forget that God goes beyond his own cycle of life. God has, can & does interject himself into the course of nature! God caused a 90 year old woman to conceive a child, and caused a bush to burn without being consumed, and caused water to stand like walls, and a rock to produce drinking water. God forced time to pause AND caused time to go backward, and a regular guy to have superhuman strength, and nursing calves to leave their mothers, and he brought a dead boy back to life... And THAT'S barely a smidge of the miraculous in the Old Testament ALONE! Jesus,turned H2O to wine, made lame walk, raised the dead, opened blinded eyes, and on, and on, and on! God is not bound by his own cycle of nature! God is not bound by my submission or rebellion! God is not bound by the people or circumstances in my life! God can destroy me if I begin to hurt His stuff, and God can exalt me regardless of other people trying to hinder me! My job is to do what I'm doing now, to trust him!
It has been insinuated to me that for certain events to unfold in my life the "miracle" would occur based on my own self-will and strength. While God has indeed endowed me with great strength I have lived a life that proves that my own decisions do not constitute miracles. It merely proves my strength. If we truly believe that God will perform a miracle in a marriage, or in a rebellious child, or in a boss, or in ANY situation then we believe that BEYOND our human decisions God will set a course in motion that will cause a result OUTSIDE our abilities! We OF COURSE live our lives based on God's Word, wisdom, and counsel. But let us not belittle a miracle by hoping people will decide to do what we want and call their compliance a miracle when it was brought about strictly by their own will! The very definition of a miracle is that it "surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause. " The miraculous occurs NOT by might or power, but by God's spirit! God CAN change a spouse, God CAN cause events to occur to soften a rebellious child, God CAN change a boss... God has done these things and he CAN & WILL do them again! With God all things are possible and nothing is too difficult! I'm excited about God's ability to take the absolutely, unquestionably IMPOSSIBLE and make a miracle happen!
He is able to go so FAR beyond our human abilities, he is able to do stuff we haven't even asked for... He's able to do what we've not even THOUGHT TO ASK for!!!
I trust this God with my life! Call me naive, weak, or whatever you want. Today I feel enough faith I can take it! I truly trust that God is going to miraculously stop me from destruction. I trust that God is going to promote me to success. I have surrendered my life to his will and I trust that God will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to accomplish his plan in my life!
Oh, snap!