You see, this definition seems to assume that God is not at work… not present in the world except in extraordinary times. And the truth of the matter is, the story of Jesus and His promise to us is that He is present with us at all times, whether it be in the form of the Holy Spirit or some extraordinary function (Matthew 28:20).
Maybe, just maybe, the lesson of Elijah and the passing of God informs us of the reality of miracles in our lives.
You see, Elijah, feeling alone and desperate- as if no one cared and that God was not doing enough, was told to go out and watch… and when he did, it was not the moving of the mountains or the force of the storm in which he found God’s presence, but in the still small voice…the Word that would eventually become flesh and dwell among us!
In this time of war and of crisis that feels so extraordinary (although in truth… is it really???), don’t fall into the trap of believing God is not at work just because you don’t see “fire and brimstone”. God is present and at work in our world… but maybe not in the business of our world. Maybe we need to stop and listen, wait and ponder, breathe, and believe that God is near… just as promised.
And if we do that, maybe just maybe, we will hear God’s still small voice… maybe we will experience the touch of Jesus’s hand and be warmed by the fire of the Spirit welling up in our hearts and souls anew.
You see the “miracle” is not God breaking through into our lives, it is our opening ourselves to see God at work. May God grant you and me that gift again this Christmas season.
Amen.
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