The Truth About Miracles

Most people would probably say that they would like to experience a miracle. How 'bout you? Maybe winning the lottery? Not bad. I think it would have been cool to witness the parting of the Red Sea or Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Imagine: walking through a dry sea floor with two huge walls of water on each side - or standing by a cave as a stinky, dirty man stumbles out at the command of Jesus!! Wow!!

But I still believe that the greatest miracle is the miracle God does in the human heart. I suppose the reason I feel that way is that I have personally experienced it. It's kinda like the wind - you can't see it with the human eye, but you can "see" the results of it!

My original miracle was when the "Light" went on and I understood God's Truth for the first time (check out "My Truth"). But that wasn't the only miracle God performed in my life.

As soon as I became a Christian ("My Truth"), I knew what my alcoholic, abusive stepfather needed. He needed the same thing that I needed all those years. He needed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I began to pray very hard for him. If anyone had asked me how things were going with me and my stepfather, I would have said, "Great! I'm really praying hard for him." But God knew better. He knew that way down deep inside of me there was hidden bitterness over the past.

Sometimes we're aware of bitterness. We know when we have ill feelings toward someone. If we realize that, we have to, by an act of our will, just say, "I'm not going to have that bitterness in my life, because it only hurts me." It doesn't mean our feelings will change right then, but we go ahead and do it by an act of our will. The feelings can take time.

But I was not aware of the bitterness toward my stepfather. I can only tell you what God did for me. One day my stepfather called me and had been drinking and was ranting and raving. Normally, I would have just hung up on him, because I had a wonderful husband and two beautiful children, I didn't live in the same state and I sure didn't have to put up with that. But this day was different. This day I didn't hang up. As I stood there listening to him, God just washed away all the bitterness, washed it right out, and tears began to stream down my cheeks and for the first time in my life, I saw my stepfather as God saw him. And I had nothing but love and compassion and pity for him. It truly was a miracle!

I certainly wasn't worthy of a miracle. The only reason I know of that God would have done that for me is that He loves me that much and He knows me that well. And He knows you that much and loves you that well too. It was a short time later that my stepfather died. Had he died and I'd had that bitterness within me, I would always have been hindered in my Christian walk. That's always what bitterness does to a person. I've heard that it's like taking poison to kill another person.

Miracles? I think the ones that can't be seen with the naked eye are the most impressive!

Psalm 77:14 - "You are the God Who performs miracles."