Waiting for My Miracle

Have you grown weary in praying for a specific miracle to happen in your life? You've been waiting a long time. Where is this Red Sea-parting God? Keep Reading…

PRAY
Dear Lord, I want to see your miracles at work in my life and those around me. Show me your ways. Show me your power. In Jesus' name, Amen.

READ
Exodus 14:19-22 -  Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

REFLECT
You've been praying for a miracle… hoping and trusting. But it hasn't happened yet. You battle with your emotions. Doubt begins to creep in. Does God hear me? Does he care?

These are real thoughts and feelings. Where is the Red Sea-parting God now? There are so many stories of God's miraculous intervention in mankind. But where is my story? It's taking so long…

Sometimes, miracles can take time. Although how God parted the Red Sea is not the main point of the Israelite exodus from Egypt, it does reveal an important point in God's interaction with mankind.  If God was going to bring the Israelites through the Red Sea, why couldn't he just teleport them? Or at least, why couldn't he dry the seabed in three seconds? We know that God was able to do that. But, God instead used a strong east wind throughout the night to dry up the seabed. Then he instructed the Israelites to walk through the miracle of the parted waters.

You can't pin God down. He is not a science project to be tested. There is no "trick" to his miracles. But, we can learn about his ways in working with men and women…

God typically works in and through people to see his miraculous power released. In this story, he used Moses' hand being stretched out over the Red Sea. Could God do this himself? Yes… but he normally works through people to see miracles happen. The degree that people partner with God (with immediate obedience, faith, half-heartedness, etc.), can have an impact on the timing of miracles.

God works in our time and space to reveal his power to us. Sometimes, he transcends our time and space (i.e. when Jesus and the disciples teleported from the middle of the lake to shore - John 6:21). But, typically, he works within the bounds of human time. He deeply desires that we know him and relate with him. So, God chooses not to dominate us with his miracles. He is patient and walks with us one step at a time.

Perseverance is often required to see the release of God's miracles. Why do some miracles happen immediately, and others take more time? I don't know. But, there are many factors at play… some of which we see, and others are behind the scene. We are only responsible for what we know. God clearly instructs us to pray with perseverance (Luke 18:1-8), to pray for the sick (James 5:14-18), and to pray with authority (Mark 16:15-18).

APPLY
Are you still waiting for your miracle? Hang in there. Ask God again about how you should pray. Then, step forward in renewed faith and ask again for the miracle. He wants to use you in your own miracle.

READ MORE
1 Kings 17:7-24
John 11:1-44