Every miracle begins with an act of obedience, carried out in faith. Think about it. Whether it is the raising of Lazarus from the dead, or the passing of Israelites through the Red Sea, or the healing of Naaman; there is an extraordinary and usually absurd-on-the-surface request made or commandment given and the occurence of a miracle depends on the obedience of that request.
The Widow of Zarephath’s story is mind-boggling. 1 Kings 17: 8-16. Why would a widow who had resigned herself and her son to death in the middle of a famine give up her last means of food to a strange prophet from another land? Was it kindness to give up one’s last meal and face an imminent death? What level of compassion and selflessness caused her to pity a total stranger and give up her own last meal? The prophetic words spoken to her about unending supply meant nothing to her because she was a Gentile and not an Israelite. Yet she complied, perhaps to prove the point that God takes a good heart and obedience wherever he finds it, and turns them into raw ingredients for a lively, testimony-bearing, compelling faith.
Jesus was known to bemoan the lack of faith among the Jews (Luke 7:9) and blamed his inability to do mighty works amongst them on this problem (Mark 6:7). The problem is even worse for us Christians of today. Many of us have experienced Divine providence making a way for us in the past, and yet we are still in full panic mode when our current prayers are seemingly unanswered. We can imagine Jesus marveling about us too – After all He has done for us. Given that the miracles we seek will always be based on obedience, how can our souls even be quiet enough to discern the brave steps we are required to take in order for our miracles to unfold?
May we learn to quieten our souls so we can always hear the Holy Spirit instructing us. May we always be willing to comply with the unusual, uncommon and illogical requests the Spirit asks of us and trust in a God who delights in our obedience more than our sacrifices. (Jer.7:21-23; 1 samuel 15:22) Amen.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 