One in a Million-A Miracle

November 30
Sunday, over lunch, the Israelites grumblings came up in our discussion.
Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?...For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.  Exodus 14:11-12
My husband related the similarities in attitudes to those of many Americans.  They'd rather be enslaved to the government and allow it to make all the decisions and provisions by going further in debt and raising taxes, than having the freedom to work and make something of their own lives.  So sad to see "The American Dream" slip away.

When the Israelites looked out upon the impassable body of water before them and heard the thunder of the advancing Egyptians before them, they felt gloom and doom...not God's divine hand and impending deliverance.  How often in our trials do we call out "Why God?" instead of crying out with positive expectancy "What's next God?"

I don't think we talk enough about the miracles we have seen.  Shirer shares this definition:

 "A miracle is a divine supernatural occurrence in which God overrules the natural order of earth to reveal His presence and power."


Shirer writes of several Biblical situations where the main characters did not grumble, but believed.  In each of these stories hope seemed futile, yet God got the glory in a big way and the people got a miraculous glimpse of his power.

"Noah built and ark when there was no rain.

Esther stood before a king with an outlandish request.

Daniel was in a lion's den with no obvious protection.

David ran for his life from an angry, jealous king.

Mary and Martha's sick brother died.

Paul and Silas were trapped in prison at the midnight hour."

I remember our honeymoon to the island of St. John.  We left Roanoke at 6AM the morning after our wedding.  Flew to Miami, then Puerto Rico, then St. Thomas. From there we took a boat to St. John and arrived at the resort after dark.  We were taken to our room and when we entered it was full of bees!  The young man who had brought us and our luggage by golf cart, told us to wait there.  Exhausted, we closed the door and waited outside on a step in disbelief.  The honeymoon was not off to a good start.  God worked it all out for good....we were upgraded to a room right on the beach!  So often we grumble when gratitude is really in order!

Priscilla Shirer explains,

"Often the Lord purposefully allows the nourishment provided by this world to taste like bitter water to us so that we come to understand the importance of His touch on our circumstances. Without God's influence, nothing in this world can really quench the deep thirst of our souls.  God's goal for our journeys is not that we only see the miracle of His deliverance at our Red Seas but that we experience the miracle of  His provisions beyond them. When Moses cried out on behalf of the people, the Lord gave a solution.  He turned their bitterness into sweetness (Ex. 15:25).  This is what God does when we cry out to Him, displaying our vulnerability during seasons of distress and giving Him our need for emotional healing in the face of disappointment. He is the One who can turn the bitter into the sweet."

On God-tube this week there was a video of what the people in attendance at this jewelry store are calling a miracle as a toddler misses death by seconds.
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=09B2JFNU

What would your Christmas miracle look like this month?  And don't answer winning that $500 million dollar power ball lottery!  Yes, I was tempted to play!  The miracle may need to take place in our own hearts.