by Carla Williams
Most miracles aren’t this sparkly. (Copyright Touched by an Angel)
Surely I’m not the only one who briefly imagines Roma Downey glowing all incandescently when someone asks me about miracles.
But very few miracles we see today come in as sparkly and direct a package as the writers from the “Touched by an Angel” could deliver them.*
I’m also not talking about those miracles you see late at night on TV where the fancy pastor receives the appropriately large donation and instantly heals an ambiguous affliction.
Use your Spirit-driven scrutiny to decide for yourself how much glory for those actions goes to God and how much lines the pockets of the producers.
So if it’s not shiny and it’s not televised, how is God intervening in supernatural ways today?
Here are just four miracles missionaries are seeing every day that testify to God’s faithfulness, presence, and desire for all nations to know and experience Him.
Dreams
Here’s a confession: Every once in awhile, the thought hits me that maybe all of this is faith thing is an elaborate grand delusion. Then I almost always think, “But wait, people who have NEVER heard of Jesus or anything about him have had dreams about Him.” Let that sink in.
This is not an isolated thing, either. Countless believers in foreign lands have begun their seeking process because Jesus appeared to them in a dream and invited them to experience His glory. (See an example here, and here, and here.)
Let’s be clear: God loves people so much, He is personally appealing to those who know nothing of Him so that they can begin a relationship with Him before they’ve ever met a Christian, read a Bible, or entered a church.
Provision
Every missionary has stories of miraculous provision.
Every missionary has a story of provision, especially those who are purely supported with donations. When we hand over our sense of security and control and acknowledge that everything we need is going to come from God, we get some crazy stories.
As our missionaries have offered their needs up in hopeful prayer, God has delivered time and again.
Sure, there have been physical things like houses, ministry properties, cars, and finances, but there are also things like rest, friendships, encouragement, and the energy to persevere another day.
So go ahead, ask a missionary. I’m sure they have stories of miracles of when God provided. (Here’s one of mine!)
Spiritual and Physical Healing
While it might be as flashy as what we see on TV, God certainly still uses healing to communicate His love.
Sometimes it’s a honest-to-goodness, what-just-happened reversal of physical suffering. You know, where there’s something medically wrong, some people pray, and all of a sudden, there’s nothing wrong anymore. And those miracles are certainly awesome.
But more often, it’s subtle. It’s often in partnership with some active choices and changes. Sometimes the miracle is that someone suffering finally decided to ask for help.
And that’s not inconsequential or trivial. For the right person, that’s
Transformation
Transformation is the ultimate miracle of a patient God.
This miracle is pesky because it’s not instantaneous. You don’t rub your eyes or hit your knees in disbelief. It happens over a long stretch of time.
Transformation is the miracle of the Spirit dwelling within you, and little by little, changing your nature, your heart, your focus, and your relationships.
Transformation is the ultimate miracle of a patient God.
This is the miracle of an angry, abusive husband one day finding himself gentle and joyful. It’s the miracle of an ambitious and prideful woman discovering the strength to choose service over self.
And it’s the miracle of a smug and foolish missionary embracing grace and forgiveness after years of deceiving even himself into thinking he already had.
This has just been 4 of the miracles missionaries see happening around them every day. There are so many more. God is still more powerful, creative, and purposefull than we could ever imagine. We’re just trying to keep up.
*Listen. I know there are serious theological flaws in the show. I’m using it as an illustration, not as a standard for Christian doctrine. No need to send any angry emails.
