A life of miracles

You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I wrote that I was sure that God wanted Grace home now. So, what's the deal, you may ask? Why haven't we received our LOA? Should I stop believing that it is better for Grace to be with us, than it is for her to be in an orphanage? Should I stop praying in faith, because it doesn't appear that anything is happening yet?

My answer to that would be a definite, "no!" And since Bill Johnson says it so much better than I ever could, I am going to quote again from Strengthen Yourself in the Lord (such an incredible book!).

"If we fall short in our pursuit of a miracle, the lack is never on God's side of the equation. When the disciples were tempted to think in that way, Jesus gave them insight into the real issue, saying, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). Most of us who fast and pray tend to do so in pursuit of a specific miracle instead of pursuing a miracle lifestyle. Jesus neither fasted nor prayed in this situation because His life was filled with prayer and fasting which gave Him access to the desired supernatural way of living. We must think in terms of gaining access to a lifestyle instead of only obtaining a one-time breakthrough in a specific circumstance. We owe the world around us that kind of heavenly demonstration.

"Learning to face the possibility of lack on our end without succumbing to guilt and shame, is key to maintaining focus in the pursuit of the Christ-like life of miracles. I refuse to sacrifice the revelation that God is always good on the altar of human reason because of my need to make sense of my seemingly unanswered prayer. I much prefer the discomfort caused by realizing an area of immaturity in my life if it will provoke me to pursue God until I get a breakthrough." (pp.152-153)

As a side note, but definitely related, I have a very conservative background. I was opposed to anything charismatic and not open to the Spirit of God doing real miracles in the lives of believers. I had seen some crazy things (haven't we all?!) and made a bad judgment as a result. I am so grateful to our pastor. We go to an Orthodox church (I bet that's a little surprising to some of you!), but our pastor is very open to finding the Truth in all denominations of Christianity. For those of you who have had negative experiences with the charismatic movement, I urge you to read something by Bill Johnson. He is very accessible and gives a good starting off point for understanding the need for miracles in the life of the Church.

So, now I'm off my soapbox and I will keep pressing in for the miracle of bringing our little girl home SOON. But most of all, I will press into living a life of miracles, for Jesus told us that we would do "greater works!". Hallelujah and Amen!