Our Misplaced Amazement of God’s Work in Our Life

Our Misplaced Amazement of God’s Work in Our Life    
Posted October 4th, 2010

Matthew 15:31
The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

David Copperfield is a Las Vegas headliner with one of the great magic shows of our era.  When people see his shows they know it is a trick and slight of hand but are amazed.  We are amazed not of the trick but how well he can do the trick and we cannot determine how he did it!  Years ago he made a space shuttle disappear and reappear.  It was amazing.

When Jesus healed and taught, repeatedly the crowds were amazed, Matthew 7:28, 8:27, 9:33,13:54, and many others times throughout the Gospels, people were amazed.  From Greek Bible and Word Study we learn that amazed in these cases can mean any or perhaps all of the following: astonished, thrown into wonderment, astounded, surprised, dumbfounded and several other meanings.  People of Israel would wonder where He received His wisdom, His power, His abilities.  They were yet to understand his divinity and most thought Him to be only human like everyone else.

Why is it then that as Christians, who profess his divinity, can too often, as in Jesus’ time, feel amazement at the fulfillment of our humble prayers,  Yet, we know of Jesus’ power and wisdom from our studies, personal experience, and the experience of believers around them..

During the storm described in Matthew 14:29-31 Peter goes to Jesus and walks on water as Jesus does. However, as soon he is alone between Jesus and the safety of the boat and he looks around at the storm, and in loosing sight of Jesus becomes afraid and loses his faith; then he begins to sink into the water.  Jesus is faithful and at hearing “Lord save me” Jesus pulls Peter out of the storm.

We pray for our needs because of our faith but why should we be astonished, astounded, or surprised when our prayers are answered.  Could it be that our faith like Peter’s dissipates as we travel though our storms?  In the midst of our storms, we must cling to our faith that God’s promises will be fulfilled in our lives.... and not be surprised at fulfillment of our prayers.  Pray often ...... everyday ...... and let the fulfillment of your prayers build your faith.  Fulfillment is God’s promise,  pray and feel God build your faith, in doing so your faith will never stop growing even in the midst of a storm.

Just remember-  God does answer our prayers and sometimes the answer is 'no' or 'wait'.  It this case maybe something better is coming.   Also, sometimes God calms the storms in our lives and sometimes..... sometimes He calms our lives in our storms.

Thanks be to God.


Addendum, A poem

Storms in Our Lives                   Lonnie Coggins (c) 2009

An eagle can sense a coming bad storm
In doing so, the eagle files to the highest stable tree limb
and awaits the storm's arrival.

As the storm approaches,
the eagle stretches out its wings,
allowing the wind to lift it up over the storm.

Likewise,
We must prepare for the storms that come in our lives,
Then pray for the Breath of God to come to us and lift our spirit,
so that just like the eagle, we too can survive our storms.

Our storms will come, we must be prepared.
We must pray, and pray, and pray everyday so that
You can truly know the Holy Spirit in your life.

Only then can you truly be prepared to Receive
The Breath of God to lift your Spirit in your greatest time of weakness,
Only then can you be prepared for the Storms in Your Life.

In receiving the Breath of God in our lives,
We learn to do what God wants for us in our lives,
We learn that our storms help us grow in our Wisdom in Him.

Thanks be to God for ALL things in our lives.     1st Thessalonians 5:16-21




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