Stephen spoke tonight on the subject of miracles, asking if they are relevant, possible and real today? He challenged us to consider two statements:
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God is who He says He is
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God can do what He says He can do
Many of us accept the first statement but struggle more with the second, largely because we doubt ourselves and wonder if God will really do what He says for us. When we consider who God is, we see that His names both reveal His identity and what He does. He is the Saviour – He saves. He is the Deliverer – He delivers. He is the Redeemer – He redeems. He is the Master – He is the boss. He is the Bread of Life who provides for us, the Almighty One who exerts divine strength, the Alpha and Omega. (Rev 1:8) This is who God is, but so often we stop at this point, failing to realise that God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. (Eph 3:20-21)
Heb 11:1 gives us a definition of faith which talks of confidence and assurance. The more confidence we have in God, the more likely we are to believe He is able to do what He says He can do. So often, our faith is lacking, as we feel we are not ‘good enough’ to have God do miracles through us. But faith is the vital ingredient, for miracles happen when God works. He is the One who does the miracle; we just need faith as small as a mustard seed to see great things happen. (Matt 17:20)
God wants to do miracles through us. Jesus the Miracle-worker is with us; His power is available to each one of us and no word from God will ever fail. (Luke 1:37) We are called to speak the ‘Amen’ of faith (2 Cor 1:20); Jesus is the ‘Yes’ man! We need to see with the eyes of faith (maybe we need to put ‘miracle glasses‘ on!) and understand that Jesus is the ‘Man Who Can‘! Just as athletes have to train hard to build up the muscle strength they need, we need to train our muscle of faith so that our faith can erupt like a volcano. Through faith in an almighty God, all things are possible.
