concrete miracles

Pastor Steve Puffpaff, the missionary at City of Refuge, spoke to us last Wednesday about miracles and how they had prayed for 2 years for the driveway that was completed by our team last Friday. He said now that whenever they become discouraged or they feel overwhelmed by all the work yet to do at the children's home, they will look down the mountain at the driveway and see how the Lord provided yet another miracle for them and the kids, and will gain strength from it. He called it a concrete miracle.

I started thinking about past miracles in my own life and how when I feel vulnerable to certain hard circumstances now, I do the same thing. I remember what the Lord has done for me at other times of concern and heartache. These memories bolster my faith and help me to trust the Lord for the new situation.

I remember a night when Byron was very sick with infection and fever. His mother came over to our house, and we prayed for him. Within a very short time, he was up and around feeling stronger and getting well again. Then there was the time a sibling of mine was up for a court case. We prayed for her and the outcome of the hearing. The judge dismissed the case, drastically changing for the better the way her life was to go over the next several years.

Do you have a home or a spouse or a child you've prayed to receive? What about all the times we pray for traveling mercies and then we have safe trips? Have you asked the Lord to bless your meal and not gotten sick? We prayed for safety for our team on the trip and no one was injured or became ill, and we all arrived home safely last Saturday night. With sudden air turbulance during our flight giving us a slight scare and our wild ride up and down the narrow, winding mountain road, getting home safely seems a pretty solid miracle to me.

I guess the old song Count Your Blessings makes a lot of sense. "Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings see what God has done. "

We live by faith, but we are encouraged by what we see and know to be true. What concrete miracles do you have to turn to when you're scared or unpleasant stuff happens? If none immediately come to mind, look around with a grateful heart and the Lord will reveal them to you. There are more blessings, more miracles, in our lives than we could ever imagine or count. God is good. All the time.

I love you all.

Suzanne