February 27, 2023
Melissa Valerio
Miracles happen all around us, every day. The problem is, we don’t see them unless we need them.
Remember how I said that sometimes God boxes us in on all sides when He wants to reveal Himself in wonderous ways? He’ll put us in situations (outside of our control) that create a need for His miraculous power to work it out. (Read the last post for examples). Situations where no one else and nothing else can save us but Him. Well, I wonder what would happen if we boxed ourselves in on all sides. What if we (purposefully) created the need for a miracle in our lives?
For example, Malachi 3:10 says this “’Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,’ says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, ‘and see if I won’t throw open the windows of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure.’” (ISV) The Lord is challenging us to test Him in this! Bring to Him a 10th of our financial earnings and He will supply even more than what we need. But how often do we grip that paycheck with a tight fist and think to ourselves “I can’t possibly tithe on this; I won’t have enough for the rest of my monthly obligations.” I understand completely, but the only way we’ll see His powerful hand working out this promise is to obey. To box ourselves in and watch Him work it out
We can apply this principle to other areas of our lives, not just money. If we start by obeying what He’s already instructed us to do in His word, we can put ourselves in the perfect position to watch Him work in miraculous ways all around us. For instance, He says to give (Luke 6:38), He says to forgive (Matthew 6:14-15), He says to love Him with all our hearts, and love our neighbors (Luke 10:27), He says to be patient (Ephesians 4:2-3), He says to be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18). If we start by obeying the things He’s already told us to do, God will move in our lives. We will see change happening all around us. We will see relationships being restored and burdens being lifted. We will see generosity coming our way and hearts being softened. And most profoundly, we will start to see ourselves being transformed into the likeness of Jesus.
So go ahead, test God in this. Give Him your entire life — heart, soul, mind, and strength — and see if He doesn’t throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much transforming power that your life will never be the same again.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for taking us one step further in our faith. You promise time and time again, that if we’ll only trust You, You will provide all we need and so much more. Give us that child-like faith that (respectfully) challenges You in all your promises, by obeying all that You have instructed us to do, and then standing firm and watching You work it out.
Action: Close your eyes, take God’s hand, and jump.