How many of us have ever wanted to see a genuine miracle happen right in front of our eyes? Perhaps we may have even prayed that such a thing would happen. What exactly does a miracle look like and what would we call a great miracle?
Let’s take a look at a passage from the Old Testament and see what we can discover. In Exodus 3, we find Moses tending a flock of sheep. He has been at this for around 40 years. Yes, he was 40 when he fled Egypt and now, he is around 80. He is simply going about his normal daily duties when he sees a bush that is on fire but the fire is not consuming the bush. He goes to check it out and, as he draws near, he is confronted by the voice of God:
“Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
Moses, like most of us would be, is quite scared at this point. God goes on to tell him: “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
We can certainly identify the burning bush as a great miracle of God. But perhaps there is an even greater miracle here that we may have overlooked. From this point on, Moses life has just begun a transformation. He is a work in progress for sure, but his life will never be the same. That is an incredible miracle to happen in someone’s life.
With that story in mind, let’s move to a story found in Luke 5:1-11. Jesus borrows a boat in order to teach the crowd that is following him. The fishermen, Simon (later called Peter), James, and John were washing their nets after fishing all night (they had caught nothing). They were simply going about their normal daily duties. After teaching the crowd, he tells Simon to put out into the deep and throw out his nets. They catch such a huge number of fish that their boats began to sink and they needed help. They too we afraid to even be in the presence of Jesus, so He says:
“Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” We can certainly identify this amazing catch of fish as a great miracle of God. But, again, there is an even greater miracle here that we may have overlooked. From this point on, “they forsook all and followed Him!” Their lives had just begun a transformation. They are works in progress for sure, but their lives will never be the same. This too is an incredible miracle to happen in someone’s life.
My brothers and sisters, each of us should look at our own lives. Each of us is trying in some way to live a Christian life in our commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are able to be transformed daily as we grow in our knowledge and love for Him. Each of us is an incredible living miracle, an amazing miracle of God. Granted, we may not feel like a miracle as we stumble and fall our way through life. But please keep in mind, we are all works in progress (at least I do not know anyone who has attained Theosis yet). The fact that we struggle to live a Christian life, that we get back up after falling again and again, this makes the miracle of our ever-transforming life even more amazing!
May God bless you in your journey with Him!!