Miracles!
Blog – 5-2-18
(Below is a blog I wrote on the plane a week ago Monday on my way home. Then I promptly forgot to send it out! So actually this blog was supposed to go out last week. I am on a writing retreat right now, so I will get caught up next week. Thanks for your grace!)
As I write this, I am on a plane coming home from a 12-day out. It’s been an amazing tour, and I have seen God work miracles every step of the way. I drove to a Women of Faith retreat in Breckenridge, Colorado, then flew to Nashville for a week of writing, and then flew from Nashville to Chicago to drive to Indiana for a women’s retreat. Yeah, pretty crazy, but somehow it all worked!
Today when I got to the airport, I was feeling completely exhausted and so ready to be home. The Energizer Bunny finally was out of fuel…totally!
I went to the restroom after getting through security, and then headed to my gate. I was hungry, like always, so I stopped to get a quick bite to eat. While I was waiting for my food, I reached for my cell phone to tell my husband I was on my way and it wasn’t where I thought it was. I checked every pocket, every part of my computer bag, every possible place it could be, and then I went into a complete state of panic as I realized it was missing. I quickly retraced my steps, and I knew instantly I had left it in the bathroom, so I raced off to find it.
I remembered the exact stall I was in, and of course, it wasn’t there. I tried with everything I had to not completely panic and said a quick prayer, “Please, God, help!” It’s scary to think how attached we are to our devices, isn’t it, but man, we are.
There “happened” to be a sweet woman who works at the airport in the bathroom, and she could see the terror in my eyes. She asked what was wrong and then offered to call my phone, and to our surprise a police officer answered it! Someone had found my phone and turned it in. The police officer quickly brought it to me and I headed to my gate, nerves a little shaky but SO grateful.
It was truly a miracle that this lady was in the restroom with me, that someone actually turned my phone in and didn’t take it, and that I got on my flight in one piece. I don’t typically do things like this, but my mind is incredibly foggy because I’m just plain worn out.
As I sit here on the plane and reflect on this, I can’t help but think about all the other miracles that have happened on this trip:
God’s provision and safety when we experienced two tires blowing out 10 miles apart from each other while traveling at 75 miles an hour on our way to Breckenridge. We were so lucky that no one was hurt.
The guy at the Delta outdoor counter who grabbed my bag and got me checked in just in the nick of time last Friday morning when we got stuck in traffic in Nashville on the way to the airport. If I had missed that plane, I very likely would have missed the first day of my retreat in Indiana.
My voice suddenly being strong and sure as I led worship at the retreat in Indiana, even though I wondered if I could even sing before I stepped on the stage because of vocal fatigue. The Holy Spirit showed up in a mighty way, and lives were truly changed.
What miracles has God been doing in your life lately? They may not be big ones, but I trust if you look at your life, you can find those moments where God showed up.
Life gets crazy and too often we miss the miracles in our lives. At least I know I do. Unfortunately, it seems we have been this way since the dawn of time. I think about the Israelites and how quickly they forgot about God parting the Red Sea for them. That’s a pretty huge miracle, right. That’s something you don’t see every day, something you would think would be a vivid part of your memory.
Yet a mere six weeks after this amazing miracle happened they questioned God’s provision. They started complaining in the desert, saying God should have just let them die under Pharaoh. They were distraught. They forgot the miracle.
Come on! Really! Don’t you remember walking through the Red Sea on dry land?
It’s easy to read that story and judge their faith, or lack thereof, yet I look at my life and can see the exact same pattern happening with me. God shows up, works things out miraculously, and the minute things get hard again I forget. I question God’s faithfulness. I doubt that He will come to my aid. I cry out in panic as if God doesn’t already have a plan in place.
I bet you’re probably the same way, my friend.
But the Good News is, in spite of our ability to forget, God continues to do His thing. He continues to love us in spite of our faulty memories. He continues to show up and perform miracles in the everyday messes of our lives.
My prayer is that you and I have a heart to see those miracles and remember them, even if it’s just a silly cell phone!
Hugs and love,
Jill
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