The Miracle is You

The Miracle is You

The title of this entry might be a bit misleading and I might change it in the future but I can't really come up with a better one yet.  And I am sure you are saying, 'ask God', but He is the one who is telling me to just write it and then worry about a title later.  And, if have read this far, he did tell me to change it although I think it is still misleading.  It used to be Why are You Here.

What I am going to do here is steal a story I have heard from several sources.  I once gave it during a sermon but I think I need to tell it here and go into what it means to me or what God has for me to say about it.  Right now, I am not sure but we will see where He leads me.  I am not sure I can get all the details right or tell it as it should be told. I am not sure what it will look like in print as I have only ever heard it and not read it.  But here it is.

A religious man was listening to the radio during a storm one day.  He lived near the river and was listening to a warning that said there was flooding coming and everyone near the river should get away before it was too late.  The man said, I am a religious man and I go to church and I worship every day.  I will stay here and let God protect me.

As the water started to rise, it came up to his door.  A man in a boat came by and said, hop in and I will take you to safety.  The man said, I am a religious man, I go to church and pray on Sunday and I worship God in all his glory.  I will stay here and let Him protect me.  So the man in the boat moved on to save others.

Later, the flood got really bad and the religious man was forced to climb onto the roof of his house as the water was up over the first floor.  It was rushing by very quickly and the house was starting to sway and he thought it would not be long before it was swept away.  At that time, a helicopter was flying overheard.  It came down to try to rescue the man on the roof.  They said, climb the ladder and we will fly you to safety.  The man said, I am a religious man and I have always loved God and worshipped him.  I go to church on Sunday and I pray to him everyday.  I will wait on God to save me knowing that he would not let me drown.  The helicopter then flew away to rescue others.

Eventually, the house was swept away and the man drowned in the overflowing river.  Soon he found himself in front of God.  He spoke up and said, God, why did you not save me.  I am a religious man and I have worshipped you all my life yet you allowed me to die in the river.

God said,
I warned you on the radio. 
I sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue you. 
My question to you is, why are you here.

Now for those that have heard that story I apologize for going through it again and for my inability to tell it properly or as you have heard it.  The reason I have included it here is I want to talk about what it means.  It ties directly into God's message about listening to Him and being able to talk to and relate to God.  It says God does talk to us.  He does answer our prayers and He is there for us when we need Him.  What is lacking is our understanding or inability to recognize God when he is talking to us.

As you may know, God says he is always listening to us and He is always speaking to us.  You cannot get away from that.  It is the key thing God wants me to get across.  I speak to that all the time but I relate this story to try to instill in you a better idea of how God talks to you and how you can seek to listen to Him.  Maybe this is the trigger that rolls over in your mind what I am trying to teach.  Maybe not.  Even if it does nothing for you, it is a good story and you can have fun with that.

What I get from this story is that I cannot tell you how God will choose to talk to you.  I know how he talks to me and I know when it is God and not just me trying to justify what I think is right.  It is just a feeling but the story says that God does not have one way to talk to us.  He can speak to us in  many different ways.  He may not speak to us in words or thoughts or in any other form, regardless of what we think is the 'right' way for God to talk to us.  It could take any form and most often, I think, it does.  He might choose someone else to speak His words to us, he might choose to show you a picture or something happening around us that is meant to portray God's will.  I cannot say what form that might be.  But I can say, if you know how to speak to God and to recognize His love, then the answers are always provided.  I firmly believe His words are there, no matter what anyone else might tell you.

I know that is kind of like me telling you what to think but for me, and I have to say it is what God is telling me, it is something fundamental to your walk with God.  He is always there, He is always listening, and He will always answer.  As I have said before, you cannot change that.  You cannot hide from it and you cannot find a place or time when it is not true.  All we can do is try to understand it and try to make sense of what God is telling us and how He chooses to tell us.  Sometimes, often in my case, we may not like the answer, but that does not change the fact that God has given us His answer and it is up to us to either ignore it or follow it.  He doesn't say it is easy or hard, it just is.

And, God wants me to say that He understands.  He knows that we will not always understand and that sometimes, we will not be listening and we will not know what is the right thing to do.  For me, I think we do, I think we always know the right thing to do because God has told us or let it be known what the right thing is, but due to circumstances, or fear, or lack of trust, we choose something else.  We choose to justify to ourselves whatever action we take and choose not to recognize that it is wrong and is not what God intended.  I think that we always know but we choose to do whatever decision we have made anyway.  Not out of rebellion or rejection of God but just because it is what we do.  Some might say it is the Devil steering us wrong but that is a topic for another time.  I don't believe that, but that is something that God wants me to talk about and I will try to do so soon.  It doesn't mean it is not the Devil but just that I do not really believe that.

Now that I have said that, I am sure a lot of people will call me a blasphemer and not believe anything else I have to say.  So be it.  I am not here to push my beliefs on anyone else.  I am just trying to relate what God tells me in a way that I think will help others.  Devil or no Devil, if you choose to believe in that, then I say more power to you and I hope it helps you as it should.  For me, it is something, and if we choose to call it Devil, then I have no problem with it.  I just choose to call it something else.  But again, another entry where I can explain that belief in more detail.

For now, I just want the focus to be on this message.  That no one can tell you how God will choose to speak to you.  No one can say, this is how God speaks and this is how you will know Him. It is up to each individual to learn to recognize God in all His forms and that He does speak to us and that we can talk to and listen to God.  We need to know that we cannot be stuck in our beliefs so profoundly that we ignore what God is trying to do for us because it is not 'His way'.  God is not limited by us.  We cannot dictate what God will do or what He will not do.  He is God and he will use whatever method or means He chooses to speak to us.  Sometimes the answer is, 'Help yourself'.  You do what is needed to solve or resolve whatever issues you may be facing. 
God does not do miracles because WE ARE the miracles.  Most of the time, we are how God chooses to show Himself to us.  Yes, there are other forms of miracles, but God wants you to know that the miracle he most often chooses is you.
Follow your heart. Follow what God is telling you.  Don't ignore the obvious because you are waiting for God to reveal himself.  Don't get stuck with the idea that God is one thing and if there is anything else then it is not God.  Talk to Him, listen to Him and always know that God is there for you.
God does talk to you, but more importantly, God does listen to you. Always and forever. God is there for you. He is inside you and He wants to help. You cannot escape that. Listen to what God is saying and always remember that He loves you.