MIRACLE OR NORMALCY

Greetings in the precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This morning I was sitting in my Prayer room, with a severe pain in my abdomen (In fact, I was terribly upset), meditating the Word of God, when I came across a beautiful handmade card, presented by one of my cousins some years back. But today it had a special meaning for me because of the word written on it. The word is “By His strips you are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)”. In the midst of my meditation I received a Word, (through SMS), “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” says the LORD. Zac.4:6. I was thrilled and started praying to God to heal me. I could feel the pain slowly receding. Praise be to His Holy Name. But this is miracle or normalcy?
Although the word “miracle” refers to a broad range of wondrous events, the biblical concept is limited to those not explainable solely by natural processes but which require the direct causal agency of a supernatural being, usually God. These occur throughout all major eras of history but do appear with greater frequency at key periods of God’s self-revelation.

The Bible begins with one of God’s greatest miracles, – the creation of the universe out of nothing. God created all the creatures of the earth and finally man from the dust! This amounts to the fact that you and I are a miracle! All else is subordinate and never to be worshiped. Humanity is categorically distinct from the rest of creation by virtue of being created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28 ). Then the next miracle is that God created woman out of the rib of man and then created a family! The fall, followed by an increase in evil, begins to thwart God’s creative purposes. The next major miracle, the flood, thus affirms both God’s judgment on extreme wickedness and his grace in promising never again to destroy humanity so completely ( 6:3 ; 9:15-16). Miracles throughout the rest of Genesis deal primarily with God’s preservation of his chosen line, when his promises to Abraham ( Gen 12:1-3 ) seem about to be broken, most notably Sarah’s conception of Isaac at an advanced age ( 21:1-7 ). A seemingly miraculous provision of water in the desert preserves Hagar and Ishmael ( 21:14-21 ), reminding us of God’s care for other peoples as well.

The greatest of all biblical miracles is the incarnation God becoming human ( John 1:1-18 ). Foreshadowed by the birth of John the Baptist to the previously barren Elizabeth ( Luke 1:5-25 ), the virginal conception of Jesus, the God-man, fulfills prophecy (Matt. 1-2) and demonstrates the Spirit’s parentage ( Luke 1:26-38 ). Jesus’ adult ministry regularly features miracles for a variety of purposes.
The greatest miracle of Jesus’ life, of course, is His resurrection. Immediately following his death, nature heralds its unusual significance with an earthquake, the rending of the temple veil, and the opening of tombs of certain Old Testament saints, who would then be raised following Jesus’ resurrection ( Matt 27:51-54 ). God’s resurrection of Jesus vindicates his claims, gives atoning meaning to his death, serves as a prelude to his ascension and exaltation, and makes eternal life and bodily resurrection available to all who trust in him!
The Bible ends with the miracle of the second coming of Jesus Christ and the judgment. The Book of Revelation reveals how great our God is who came down to earth as a man and shed His blood to redeem the fallen man. What a great miracle is the experience of salvation! Nowadays this great miracle is neglected and healing and prosperity are projected as miracles!

So every Christian tastes miracles in his life every day. Most of us think that it is normalcy in Christian life. But Paul in Galatians Chapter 6 and verse 17 says, “I bear on my body the brand marks of the Lord Jesus the wounds, scars and other outward evidence of persecutions]. – These testify to His ownership of me!” When Christ is the owner of me, according to Galatioans5:24, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus, the Messiah, have crucified the flesh – the Godless human nature – with passions and appetites and desires and according to verse 25, we live by the Holy Spirit and we are guided by the Holy Spirit (Vs.18). This is a miracle! We become the temples of the LORD (I Cor. 3:17) Jesus said, “You know and recognize Him (the Spirit of Truth), for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you” This is a hidden miracle that the Holy Spirit dwells in us all the time! – Not only during the worship time at the church, or listening to some sermon.
When we recognize this fact and accept it, our home becomes a Garden of Eden. The LORD comes down from His throne and dwells among us. What a great joy! Our children, grandchildren become signs and wonders (Is. 8:18). This was the theme during our Shalom Family Enrichment Mission’s Annual Families Get-together this year. The recognition of our family by the LORD is followed by the fulfillment of His promise in Joel 2:28 → “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions”

So let us recognize that a Christian walk is not normalcy but a life of miracles. That is why David who recognized the Lord dwelling with him said, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken! Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices and my body will also rest and confidently dwell in safety.”(Ps. 16:8,9). The result of recognizing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit results in “And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was with him”(II Sam. 5:10). In I Chronicles we read in Chapter 18,verse 13: “The LORD gave David victory everywhere he went” This is the secret to be followed by our children and grandchildren in this filthy world. There is no truth in the world we live in; filth and filth alone that creates negative thoughts in the youngsters. Do we teach our children about this great miracle, the miracle of salvation and indwelling of the Holy Spirit? If only our family recognizes this miracle, our family will become a heaven on earth, filled with the love of Jesus and His holiness! May God grant this grace to each and every one of us. God bless you

Prayer: Lord God our Father, let me and my family be signs and wonders in this world. Be with us and allow us to taste your miracles every day. In Jesus’ precious Name I pray. Amen