God in the Darkness of Miracles

“After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”

It can be tempting to think of miracles as purely positive, uplifting things, and to only notice them when we see happy fruit, which is obvious to our very limited, mortal sight.

Miracles, however, - while always producing good fruit - nevertheless often include something unpleasant: a step we usually overlook, as a trial, and not something which is intrinsically part of the miracle itself.

The truth is, miracles are unpleasant things. They involve great suffering, before the cure. They involve massive trust. They involve not forgetting our previous miraculous experiences, no matter how much time has passed, or how mundane our lives seem right now.

In fact, this was the temptation of the Israelites in the desert. Time and time again, no matter God’s countless proofs of His presence and protection, the Israelites consistently believed that He had abandoned them. Do you believe God has abandoned you?

Miracles involve unpleasant things, and sometimes, the miracle itself is heavily unpleasant. For example, when Jacob wrestled with God, and God dislocated his hip. Or when Abraham went up the mountain to sacrifice his son. Or when Moses sent the plagues over Egypt.

If you are praying for a miracle, do not dismiss the closed doors, untimely illnesses, or lack of consolation in your life. These may be necessary steps before the miracle, or even, these may be the very miracles themselves. God’s ways are not our own. And the greatest miracle of all, the salvation of Mankind, was God suffering and dying on the cross. That was the miracle. And if this is how God chooses to perform miracles, who is to say He will not ask the same of you in regard to the miracles He works in your life?

The cross is the miracle. I could jump straight to the resurrection, and say that is also part of the miracle, and it is. Completely, it is. But I don’t want to jump straight to the happiness, and overlook the darkness. Because we tend to think that God is absent in those moments of hardship. It’s easy to see Him when the light is shining, but what about in the midst of the mundane, or the difficult?

It’s time to stop thinking results are all on your shoulders, and you just don’t believe enough. Instead, start believing. Start thanking God for the trials, and see His hand at work in the darkness. Did you fail to get that job? He stopped you. Did you lose something you love? He took it to Himself, for you. Are you begging Him for a boon, but not receiving it? He knows your deeper desires, and what is best for you, and has withheld it for His own reasons.

God is always performing miracles. Is your life light or dark right now? Look for God in the darkness. He is performing miracles.