Question from a Site Viewer
I have a question. There are so many people having such wonderful testimonies. I love reading them. They really strengthen my faith. However, sometimes I wonder if there is something wrong with me. I have never (to my knowledge) had any miracles like these happen in my life. Would it be safe to assume that such miraculous happenings are more the exception and not the norm? Sometimes I even wonder if I am even saved because I read about people who thought they were Christian, but then they have these wonderful experiences.
Could you shed some light on this? Thank you.
Tim’s Answer
Thank you for your question. It is a good one. It goes to the very heart of what it means to live a life pleasing to God.
When we come to God, we come to One who is able to do the impossible. As Scripture says, nothing is impossible with Him. However, we do not come to a showman. He is not a person who will display miracles just to show off. When the religious rulers of His time sought a sign from Him, He refused. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 that the Jews seek after a sign and the Greeks after wisdom, but we seek after Christ. I love that passage. Our focus must always be on pleasing Him. Paul tells the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4 that we should learn to live quiet lives. That is, we seek to be good citizens and carry out the ethic of love in a world that sometimes is hostile to us. If we practice these things, that is, if we live a life of faith working out in love, then we are born of God. The miraculous cannot be the earmark of true spirituality. Jesus said in Matthew 7 that there will be many who have miraculous experiences who in that last day will not be saved. Spend life seeking Jesus and you will be richly rewarded.
Having said the above, I think we often simply overlook the miraculous working of God in our lives. Everyday, we get up and pray to God for our day, for safety and health, for opportunities to do good to others, for wisdom in decision-making, and for eyes open to those chance “God-encounters” with others. Almost every day, we make it through with our health and safety intact, looking back on the opportunities God brought our way, with the hindsight of decisions made well, and, if our eyes are open, with a few “God-encounters.” It is in the still small voice, the impression, the burden, that we are led to pray for those in need, to stop and help that person, etc. These are the workings of God and the fulfilling aspect of life with Him. But often, we ignore these far more numerous God-workings while focusing on the bigger ones. Yet, God is changing us, day after day, into the image of His Son, as we by faith seek to love Him.
Keep the focus on Jesus, pray about everything, and give thanks to Him. Do good to others and expect and ask for His intervention. You will be surprised as you live life how much He brings to you and enables you to bring to others.
A fellow pilgrim,
tim