Little Miracles, Big God
Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
Exodus 15:11
I’ve been reading the latest book by a pastor named Mark Batterson. It’s titled A Million Little Miracles.
Here’s the author’s premise.
“It’s not only God’s mercies that are new every morning. It’s his miracles. Every day without exception, we experience miracles big and small, visible and invisible, tangible and intangible.”
Batterson then offers multiple examples of these non-stop miracles. Some are mindbogglingly large. Here’s one case in point.
“As you read this book, it may feel like you are sitting still, but that is an illusion of miraculous proportions. The reality? You are on a giant merry-go-round that is spinning on its axis at 1,000 miles per hour and speeding through space at 67,000 miles per hour. That is nothing short of miraculous, but we don’t give it a second thought.
“Every day you travel 1.6 million miles through space. But wait, there’s more. The Milky Way galaxy is spinning at 468,000 miles per hour, and we don’t even get dizzy.”
Batterson then asks, “When was the last time you thanked God for keeping us in orbit? For most of us, the answer is never. Why? Because God is so good at what God does that we take most miracles for granted."
And it’s not just the big stuff. He offers this example.
“With every heartbeat, six quarts of blood carry oxygen molecules to the one hundred trillion cells in the body through 60,000 miles of veins, arteries, and capillaries. That’s twice the circumference of planet Earth.”
When you stop to think about that, it’s jaw-dropping. But that’s our problem. We never stop to think about that.
Batterson then concludes, “We praise God for the anomalies and epiphanies, as we should. But what about all the little miracles that are all too often overlooked and underappreciated.
“We experience millions of miracles every day. How much happier we would be if we took them for gratitude rather than taking them for granted.”
Why it Matters
Why is this so important? There are a number of reasons. First of all, when we fail to pause to recognize everyday miracles, God seems to be aloof and apart rather than close and intimate.
As a result, we get all wrapped up in our own little world and think that it’s all up to us when it comes to facing the challenges of our daily walk. Oh, God may every now and then step in to do something that defies the norm, but that is rare and reserved for the truly big stuff. So, we take matters into our own hands.
Such a low view of God, according to A. W. Tozer carries significant implications. He writes, “The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils. The smaller your God, the bigger your problems! A high view of God, on the other hand, is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems.”
Look for God in the Little Things
When we take the time to look for God in the little things—the little miracles we too often take for granted—and allow them to remind us that He is not only for us but with us—indeed, glad to be with us—it prepares us for those major challenges and crises when we often wonder if that is indeed the case.
And, thus prepared, our faith rises - faith that our God is ready, willing, and able to move miraculously in our lives.
The new year is upon us, and it will hold a multitude of opportunities to pause in wonder and offer our praise for everyday miracles.
I encourage you to make it a daily occurrence. You may even want to record those moments in a journal and, over time, watch the miracles pile up.
This practice is important for no other reason than that our Lord is worthy of such recognition! But there’s an added benefit.
As we normalize the reality that our God is actively engaged in the wondrously small things, we will have the encouragement and confidence we need to trust that He is no less engaged in the intimidating large things.
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