The verge of a miracle...

Nothing "fires me up" quite like seeing the enemy of our souls attempting to thwart the great miracles of God in our lives. Such is happening this week in the lives of some dear friends. This couple has faced more than their share of trials. And here they stand on the verge of a miracle so astonishing only God could claim ownership. Yet, they are faced with obstacles.

Sometimes I wonder why God allows such painfully trying circumstances to riddle my already confusing, and so much less than consistent, life. Sharing in my friends' pain this week has caused me to rewind in my mind back to my own obstacles when faced with a similar miracle. The year was 1998 and I was on the tail end of a 13-year addiction to pornography and sex. My addiction left me alone, afraid, feeling hopeless. I was separated from my wife with no prospect of restoration. Yet, a miracle was in the making.

Some miracles appear more amazing than others. The miracle of Christ raising Lazarus from the dead seems to impress us more profoundly than the daily miracle of God raising the sun to its proud post in the heavenlies. Both are miracles, yet one seems to magnify God's power and might in a way that cuts through to our hearts and even storms the gates of hell itself. Such was the miracle I was soon to face.

God put back the peices of my broken, shattered marriage. One by one He restored trust, faith and transparency, giving my marriage something it never had before: hope and purpose. And that is a miracle! But I never would have experienced this miracle if I hadn't received it. God offered it, orchestrated circumstances and countless other intangibles. But just as His grace is freely available to all, not all will enjoy the freedom, peace, and power it provides because they refuse to receive it. My miracle waited. And I took it.

An amazing phenomenon occurred when God performed this miracle in my marriage. Sexual temptation increased. My mind began racing with fears and doubts. Mood swings were on the rise. Arguments, misunderstandings, and difficulty communicating clearly were regular obstacles to embracing this wonderful gift of reconciliation God was offering. I quickly realized that God's desire was to bestoy such an unbelievable, outstanding blessing in my life so as to cement in my mind that in the same way I had no power to produce such a reconciliation with my wife, it was also not going to be by my power that these obstacles to our reunion were overcome. God was using a miracle to teach me greater dependence on HIM.

I am praying for my friends. They stand at a great crossroads - step forward in faith to encounter inevitable obstacles and receive God's miracle, or shrink back in fear and remain unharmed by the obstacles of faith, but joyless on the journey. It is no easy thing being on the verge of a miracle...but it beats being anywhere else.

Thankful for the Miracle Maker,

jonathan