When To Ask For A Miracle

When To Ask For a Miracle1

I was sitting here playing a game of solitaire when I suddenly realized that I was very close to losing. I thought, "I'll need a miracle to win this one!" As soon as I thought it, I recanted my perception of the situation and asked myself when I should ask for a miracle.2

Do I ask for a miracle when I'm sitting in traffic on a hot, muggy day, and the cars are all moving at a snail's pace? Or perhaps while standing in line at the grocery store when I realize there are seven people ahead of me and a blinking light above the register. We all know that blinking light means we'll be standing there awhile until the manager comes and clears up the new cashier's mistake. Of course, there's always the, "God, let my team win the pennant this year. They'll need a miracle with the slump they're in!" That's a popular one.3

But are these really legitimate reasons to ask for a miracle? Let's say I find myself out on the interstate, and I've forgotten to look at the fuel gauge on my car. It starts to spit and sputter like cars do when they run out of gas, but there's and exit and a gas station just ahead. Is that a time to ask for a miracle? No, I can walk that far, get a can of gas, walk back to my car, put the gas in and return the gas can when I stop to get gas. However, I do thank God that it wasn't raining at the time. Miracle? Most likely not. Cars just have their way of letting us know that we really messed up by not stopping at the last gas station.4

Now, if I get a flat tire, I may panic, but I know how to change a tire. The jack may be a bit difficult for me to figure out since I've never had to use the one in my car, but I think I can do that on my own. It's new and has instructions on its use in the car manual. So I may get dirty, which is really against my nature, but I've got to do it. Not just anyone can be trusted to help me change that tire. I'll whine for awhile, and unless Hercules put those lug nuts back on when my tires were last rotated, I would think I have enough strength to break them loose.5

Here's the tricky part. If a loved one is dying, do I ask for a miracle? I, myself, will ask for God's Will to be done, but some will ask for a miracle. In a natural or man-made disaster, a miracle just may be what is necessary to save lives of the victims of such a perilous situation. But are miracles really so necessary within our everyday lives? I'd like to think that just getting up every day and being able to walk, talk, function reasonably well and kiss my live husband is a miracle. I'll call upon God for a miracle if I need one, but I figure He already knows that I won't suffocate in the traffic, I will get my groceries paid for and home before my milk spoils (check the expiration date), and running out of gas or having a flat tire are not the end of the world. 6

God gave me the good sense to purchase a cell phone, and I use it if I need it. I not only can use it in case of emergency, but I can also use it to call my husband and tell him how much I love him. I can also call him and let him know I'm stuck in traffic or in the checkout line. I can call him for that gas or the flat tire, but I don't think I'd worry him about it. God made me capable.7

So, when you're in a position of discomfort, and you're just about to
start begging for miracles, perhaps you will depend upon yourself to get through the small stuff. God really does take care of the big ones for us. We just don't realize it right away.8