noticing miracles

          Some time ago I asked my lovely writer friend Erica to come up with a guest post for my blog.
She willingly agreed and sent me the finished product this morning. I had to read it several times because it is so wonderful and thought provoking and wise. Because of the importance of this message, I believe everyone should take time to read these beautiful words written by one inspiring person!

 

 

I’ve been thinking about the nation of Israel lately.

We read though the Old Testament last year.  And believe me, reading through the entire Old Testament in one year really drives home the point about how good the Jews were at falling away from God.  It’s this endless cycle.  They’re faithful to Him, so He rewards them and makes them prosperous.  And because they’re so prosperous, they get complacent and start worshipping other gods.  So God punishes them.  And then they call out to Him, and he rescues them.  So they’re faithful to him, and he rewards them and makes them prosperous.  And so on.  And on.  And on.

And I must admit, I was tempted to laugh at them sometimes.  Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought something like this while reading the Old Testament: “Seriously?!  They saw God perform a miracle right in front of them.  He led them through the desert in a pillar of fire.  He parted the Red Sea for them.  He defeated Jericho for them.  How in the world could they just turn around and forget all that, and start worshipping other gods?  The nation of Israel was just so silly.”

Raises hand.  Yes, I’m guilty of thinking this, too.

But I’ve been thinking lately, how often do we do the same thing?  How often do we see a miracle from God and then just turn around and continue living life as if it had never happened? 

You may be thinking, but I’ve never seen a miracle from God.  I’ve never had anyone in my life miraculously healed, or been miraculously protected, or anything like that.  That may be true.  I don’t think I ever have either, though I believe those kinds of things do happen. 

But that’s not the kind of miracle I’m talking about.  I’m talking about little everyday miracles, the things we pass over without even thinking about it or don’t even think to notice.  Have you ever had something you’re nervous about go surprisingly well?  Or been somewhere at just the right time to do something you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do otherwise? 

Have you ever really stopped to notice the miraculous beauty of Autumn?  Or the miracle of new life in the spring?  Or even the miracle of life itself?

You see, we do exactly what the Jews did in Old Testament times.  We see a miracle, and maybe even marvel over it for a little while, then turn around and forget about it.  And we continued living life like we would have if it had never happened. 

So I guess the main point of this whole thing is that I’ve made it my goal lately to try not to forget everything God has done for us, and to try to see His presence in all the little miracles most people miss.  And I’m wondering if you’d like to make that your goal too.