Week Two: Day Six
The Story
Anna underwent the most dramatic sequence of coincidences that had ever happened to her. Over the last year, her mother had tried to convince Anna to believe that God performed miracles. It wasn’t until these things actually happened that she believed.
Anna had been in a car accident about a month before these coincidences. While she was not hurt, she was still escorted to the hospital in an ambulance. There were two people in the other car and they each had a few small injuries. They were also brought by ambulance to the hospital. The accident turned out to be Anna’s fault. She was given a ticket by the police, she later found out, because it was deemed that her speeding had caused the accident. She had only been going five or six miles over the speed limit, but the accident had happened directly in front of a policeman who had his radar gun out at the time.
Now that a month had passed, some of the hospital bills began to come in. In one day, she received three pieces of mail. One was an $800 bill for her ride in the ambulance. Next, she opened a bill for $1,900 for her short stay in the emergency room. Finally, she opened a speeding ticket for $240 that the police had issued. She could not believe her eyes. In total, she now owed $2,940. That afternoon she received a call from her insurance company saying they had received the claims from the other vehicle that was involved. Their claims totaled more than $5,000 in hospital bills and car damage. The insurance agent told her that a committee was going to meet to determine if they will increase her premiums or possibly drop her altogether.
Anna called her mother and in great sobs told her the news. Anna was 23 years old and had been living on her own for a little more than two years. She had become quite independent living on her own. Anna’s mother had always had faith in Jesus, but in the last year she had grown in Him tremendously. She told Anna that she would pray and that it would be alright.
The next day Anna went to her mailbox fearing that some new bill may be headed her way. She reached inside and pulled out an envelope that she thought was certainly going to be a bill. As she pealed back the envelope she found three savings bonds with her name on them. The piece of mail was from a bank from a town in California where Anna had lived when she was very little. There was a letter with the savings bonds. It was short and simply said that the bank had been cleaning out their safety deposit boxes and that these bonds had been caught in between the opening of the drawer and the box itself. They had been trying to track Anna down for over a year, but had just now found out where she lived.
The face value of the savings bonds together totaled $2,500. Because they were issued twenty-three years ago they were worth more than their face values. Anna went online and couldn’t believe her eyes when she learned that in today’s dollars these bonds were now worth $2,940. This was the exact amount that she owed from the accident. She simply couldn’t believe this set of coincidences! Just then, she received a call from her insurance company saying that the accident was ruled no-fault. The other car had been speeding as well. She would not lose her insurance and the committee had decided not to raise her insurance rates. She could not wait to call her mother.
The Devotion
The Bible is full of miracle stories that are hard to believe. We wrap them in the word miracle as if that makes these miracle stories easier to comprehend. Here are a few of them:
Balaam and His Donkey
In Numbers 22:21-39, the prophet, Balaam, was as uninterested in listening to God as he could be. It took the very donkey he was riding upon to speak in audible language to bring about Balaam’s interest. While it makes for a great children’s story, a donkey talking to you is quite strange stuff. Maybe we give that a pass because of the old TV show Mr. Ed. I’m not sure.
Jonah Inside the Whale
The entire book of Jonah is about another prophet who was uninterested in listening to God. It took three days living inside the belly of a great fish (or possibly a whale) to set Jonah straight. Again, it makes for great children’s books, but it’s altogether strange. Most people that we read about on the news who are accosted by whales do not live to tell about it. This is especially so when these large animals see a person as their dinner.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
The story found in Acts 8:26-40 is as if George Lucas penned it for the latest Star Wars movie. One of God’s people, Philip, lead an Ethiopian eunuch to the Lord, baptized him and then Philip teleported to a new location. I can’t imagine what went through that Ethiopian man’s mind following that lift off. That was unusual and odd, but we blow past it because it’s in the Bible.
There are several other odd stories in the Bible that as you read them for the tenth time, you can overlook the august nature of the miraculous. Some of them are the parting of the Red Sea, the many plagues in Egypt (some that even the Egyptian mystics couldn’t reproduce themselves), and Jesus’ own ascension into heaven. There was Elijah who was taken up to heaven by God and was never in need of a funeral ceremony. Perhaps one of the strangest of all was the story of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. He was dead for a while and then rejoined his family, being called back to life by Jesus’ voice. The only thing he needed was a bath.
In Eric Mataxas’s book called Miracles, he proposes a definition for miracle that will forever stick with me and hopefully you. A miracle is God ripping through the walls of physics and time [that he put in place] to do something only he can do for his own glory. Miracle stories, like those above and probably the others you can recount, are God’s best ways of getting our attention.
While I would agree that being a part of a miracle is something to behold, my suggestion would be that you would rather live your life in a way so as to not need God to grab your attention. Rather, be found doing right by God. Do your best to know his Word. Do your best to live in such humility that you are not in need of being greatly humbled or God forbid, humiliated.
Seeking out fanatical miracles is like looking for the sizzle rather than for the steak. For the children of God who are staying attentive to his Word, he does not have to be overly dramatic to demonstrate his best. He is a good father who longs to give his children good things [Matthew 7:11]. The best way we can see the hand of God is by being his humble servants. He loves to reward those who diligently seek him [Hebrews 11:6].
Miracle stories are great. They inspire. They often leave us wanting more. However, chasing after them can be like chasing the wind. Each one is unique. Miracles, by their very nature, are not patterned, but random, amazing and beautiful. It is great to share miraculous stories, but be sure to share your stories of daily faithful living as well. God is so good!
The Bible
Numbers 22 | Acts 8 | Matthew 7
The Prayer
“Lord Jesus, I thank You that You care for me deeply. I thank You that I do not have to seek after the miraculous. Just as you meet my daily needs, I can trust You when I need something more significant. Help me to never worry, but always trust You. You know how to give good gifts to Your children and I will choose to lean on You for my daily needs. May I be ready to receive from You no matter my circumstance. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
