Believe A Miracle...Expect A Miracle

Well, I had this long drawn out blog post that I was ready to sit down and write today, but something has come up to put that on hold. There is something more prevalent and a lot more meaningful than my sometimes chaotic ramblings.

Jessica and I made it to church yesterday morning for the first time since we moved into our new home. Not the best record, I know, but we have come up with some great excuses not to go, the most common being that it is now a 30 minute drive one way. However, we were excited to go back, and made ourselves get there on time. The message of the week was not delivered in what I would consider the best fashion, but the message was phenomenal. Speaking on obedience, the message talked about how sometimes we will follow the "rules" set forth by Christ rather reluctantly, but ultimately we do it "because he said so." This really hit home for me, and it was a message that I really needed to hear, as you would agree if you have been reading my previous posts.

Today, after feeling as if I have drawn closer to God within the past 24 hours, I have had a new experience that I have only felt a few times in my life. That moment of truth when you undoubtedly know that God is real and very near to you. We got word today that a member of Jessica's family went into intensive care last night due to a diabetic coma. The staff at the hospital gave the news that they did not expect her to make it through the night. She has made it through so far, but the family is still worried. She has 3 children, and unfortunately isn't really "close" to any of them. They are being raised by their grandmother (Jessica's grandmother), and see their mom every once in a while. Though not the best of situations and circumstances, ultimately she is still their mother. I was asked, after receiving word of the situation from Jessica's grandmother, to pray for the mother of her grandchildren that she may be ok. I hung up the phone, and took a minute to think about everything before lifting up my prayers to God. It was in that moment of silence that I heard the words, "believe a miracle...expect a miracle." It is not enough to 'hope' for a miracle, you have to believe it. But it is never certain that it will result in that for which we have prayed. So I started thinking about one of the first messages we ever heard after we began to attend Church of the Highlands. It is not simply enough to "hope" for a miracle. You have to believe that God will grant us His miracles, and that is enough. However, it is sometimes unwise for us to pray for certain, very specific things such as someone recovering from an illness, or in this case, waking up from a coma. That may be His miracle. It may not be. Either way, it is not for us to decide. By praying for His will to be done and nothing more, we can thank Him and praise Him no matter the outcome of the situation with which we are faced.

So I prayed for those children. No child should ever have to live without the love of their mother. No child should ever feel unwanted by their own mother. There are times where my heart has broken over the thought that these kids might just be feeling those pains. So I prayed for them; for their comfort; for their future and well-being. I prayed that they would have the Christian mother they so desperately need and deserve. And again I heard the words, "believe a miracle...expect a miracle." Maybe this miracle will come today, maybe tomorrow, a week from now, or a year.That is not for us to know. Maybe she will come out of this coma with a renewed spirit, and will be filled with a new compassion for her family, and an appreciation for her new life. Maybe she won't wake up at all. That is not for us to decide. Either way, no matter how God chooses to use this situation, we WILL praise Him for His promises, and we WILL be faithful that He knows far more than we can ever imagine.

"Our Father, Who Art in Heav'n, Hallowed Be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom Come, THY WILL BE DONE, On Earth as it is in Heav'n."