Miracles

Do you believe in miracles? As you read your bible you will find many stories that defy the physical laws of the universe that we have come to trust. The sun comes up every day, we get older each year that slips by and the Internal Revenue Service will get their fair share of our paychecks. But seriously, many people have trouble believing in God or trusting in the bible because of the miracles described within its pages. But as for me, I see miracles in everyday life; the beautiful shape of an orchid, the majesty of a sun rise or the awesome birth of a child. I don’t need God to part the Red Sea or cause the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down to believe in a supernatural Creator when the proof is all around me. 

In chapter six of Joshua, God explains to Joshua how He is going to deliver the fortified city of Jericho into the Israelite’s hands. But as the game plan is chalked out on the black board, Joshua begins to wonder when his part in the attack comes into play?  

“You want me to what?” Joshua exclaims. “March around the city for six days? And just how exactly will that work?” Joshua continues putting his sandals back on and sits down on the ground before the Lord.   

You know, there were many times in my own life where I have felt the Lord nudging me to go to the left and I go to the right. He might put a thought into my heart to pray for my enemy when all I really want to do is thump them over the head with a large stick. God’s ways are not our ways and He seems to have an arsenal of unlimited resources including patience. As a husband, when my wife presents me with a problem, I already have a solution in my head and clumsily blurt out the answer when all my wife really wanted to do was sit down and  discuss the problem together.  God is like my wife in that way, where sometimes all He really wants us to do is to talk to Him and fellowship with Him. Oh yea, remember Dean, it’s all about the relationship, stupid! 

So as Joshua sits there listening to the Lord, visions of storming the city walls with wooden ladders and archers at the ready are running through his head. But God had a very different plan; For what is impossible for men is not impossible for a omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God.  So as the text explains on the seventh day after the seventh trip around the city wall perimeter the trumpets were sounded and Joshua commanded the people to shout “For the Lord has given you the city!”. 

Remember back several weeks ago when  we discussed how Rahab  demonstrated great faith in the One True and Living God of Israel by hiding the Israelite spies who had arrived in Jericho to gather intelligence for the pending attack. Now, the only people spared in the attack were Rahab and her family who were living inside her house. She was instructed to tie a scarlet cord in her window, and then when the Israelite army attacked she would be protected. 

 Interesting, God thought it was important to mention the fact that Rahab’s occupation was that of a prostitute. You see, it does not matter what we have done in this life as God can forgive anyone, anything and the fact is that our salvation is not dependent upon what we do but what God has already done through the sacrifice of His own Son. Rahab put her trust and faith into God by tying a scarlet cord in her window. And all who remained in her house would be saved from the destruction that ensued outside in the city  walls of Jericho.  

So what will it take for you to believe in miracles? Do you need to meet an angel face to face or maybe mysteriously hit the lottery? While it’s true God can do all these things and much, much more, He only sends help when we ask according to His will. God is not a genie in a bottle who through magically conjures up possessions for us to lust over. God loves us too much to cripple us like that but rather will assist us through situations only as we surrender to His will.  

If we take the time to think and look closely at the world around us we will see a miraculous creation that was created perfectly for us to thrive in. God’s crowning achievement was not in the miracles of parting the Red Sea or bringing down the walls of Jericho but rather in the offering of His One and Only son Jesus.