How much do we see God working in our lives? Do we see things happen that we cannot explain in the natural scheme of things? Do we see extraordinarily events manifesting in divine interventions in human lives? That is the definition of a miracle. We tend not to use the word ‘miracle’ perhaps as often as we should, some people tend to limit it to what Jesus did as recorded in scripture. However I would like to suggest that God does intervene in our lives, perhaps even on a daily basis as we see things happen we cannot explain, or in response to our prayers, or we meet someone “unexpectedly”. How can we be more aware of what God is doing in our lives? If we look at Jesus’ miracles I would like to outline three of the many things we can do, to see God working in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

I would like to use the passage in Mathew 14 to illustrate my three points. These are preparation, listening and reflection. There are a number of times we read in scripture that Jesus spent the night up a mountain in prayer. Between the miracle of feeding the 5000 and Jesus encouraging Peter to walk on the water in a storm we read this in verses 22-24 (CEV) Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake. But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later that evening, he was still there. By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. This was a regular occurrence, for Jesus to seek the will of his Father, how much more should we need to spend time doing the same? Jesus asked the disciples to prepare for the miracle of feeding 5000+ people by, assessing what was available (five small loaves and two fish), and asking that people sit in orderly groups, possibly so they could be served more easily or be counted more accurately. Jesus then thanked His Father for what was about to happen, and each person there experienced the miracle of eating and being fully satisfied. We can look at this and see a single miracle or should we see 5000+ simultaneous miracles?

Jesus went from serving many people, to giving his full attention to just a few and especially one, namely the disciples and especially Peter. Jesus had spent the night preparing, praying and listening, and now a storm had arose. We are not told, but if it was calm would Peter have responded as he did? We don’t know if walking on calm water would have had less impact on those present, but they all saw a miracle that morning, and it teaches us as well that when we step out in faith we should keep our ears and eyes on God and what he is doing by the Holy Spirit, listening to his call and following his instructions.

I know that it is a common practice for some Christians to keep a journal. A simple exercise to record our prayer requests and what we have experienced on a daily basis. In this way we can reflect on the day and any lessons learnt, answers to prayer and anything extraordinary or supernatural (miracles) that we have encountered. I am sure that Jesus would have spent time reflecting with his Father, and the Holy Spirit on what had happened. As they reflected on the day they would see those who had responded in a positive way, or negatively like the Pharisees who usually missed the whole point of what Jesus said. It is good for us to spend time reflecting on our day, looking for miracles that we may not have otherwise seen. Bearing in mind that the word ‘coincidence’ is not in God’s vocabulary. He has a plan for each of us, how we live, and who we interact with, and how God can use us, and our experiences, for the good of his kingdom.

I was led to the above train of thought by a song written by Christopher Brown / Steven Furtick / Brandon Lake. and sung by Elevation Worship and Maverick City It is called Million little Miracles*. If you don’t know the song then please listen or read the lyrics and ask yourself, is there anything that happened today where the Holy Spirit spoke to me through someone else or I was able to speak to someone, was it a chance meeting? Did I respond to God and change my plans and what was the result? If you count all the times God intervenes in peoples lives then the million would be greatly exceeded every day.

If we prepare ourselves, listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit and obey, we will see on reflection that God is working in our lives and the lives of others in a far greater way than we have realised up until now, and we can thank and praise him for all he has done for us, or through us, every day.