S: “But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, ‘Take courage, for you have solemnly witnessed to my cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.’” (Acts 23:11)
O: God prophesies to Paul that he would be a witness in Rome. In 24:11, one chapter later, we see this coming to pass when he appeals to Caesar. However, it is not until chapter 28:16 that he finally lands there.
The prophetic calling to Rome took him through several court appearances, plots to kill him, defame him, a shipwreck and snakebites. But through all things, Paul remained faithful. The miracle came to pass eight chapters later, and it could have never come to pass without Paul’s willing cooperation. Paul had to realize that he was in the midst of a chapter, a prolonged, processing miracle, and his obedience every step of the way would be a crucial cooperative partnership.
Some miracles happen instantaneously. These take place in a flash. Where one condition was, immediately it is changed with no time intervening.
But other miracles may be more protracted, with more time intervening, more like a process than a punctuation, a season rather than a second. And these will require my partnership.
One of the mitigating factors to these kinds of life-changing, nation-changing miracles would be not realizing that right now, I may be living in the midst of a miracle. Therefore, out of ignorance, I do not cooperate. I waste what I should have cherished and I throw away what I should have kept and poo-poo what I should have appreciated and shun what I should have been so grateful for.
Or the third is simply not cooperate and, like the Israelites in the wilderness, push further away the Promised Land, extended even further the journey.
- Neglect what I should have paid attention to
- Disregard what I should have noticed
A: Often, in order for a miracle or a promise to come to pass, it will require my cooperation and my obedience every step of the way.
Right now, I may very well be in the midst of a miracle. I might not know exactly what it is, but I want to follow His lead, respond quickly to His guiding. I must make this not so much as a “lever that I pull” to acquire a miracle like putting in a dollar to get a snack from a vending machine, but a joyous lifestyle of walking in relationship with Him. The miracles, instant ones and extended ones, will be common companions along the way.
P: Jesus, please teach me this lesson that my life will be filled with pleasant surprises as we walk in the midst of miracles in the making.