TALES BY MIDNIGHT #6 – When Miracles Happen
The first miracle God ever did for me was a simple one.
There were probably some before this but this is the first one that I properly acknowledged.
It is also the first that I can recall.
It did not come with the usual hype that most miracles come with but I knew within me that something powerful had happened.
Before I go into this story, I want to let you know that God is a show off.
He loves to display in ways that ultimately bring him glory and even when it seems small to you, everything always points back to him.
I was 10 years old at the time.
I was supposed to minister in the adult church in representation of the children’s church.
In as much as I was that child that did so many things, I never always had courage.
I was (and still sometimes am) very shy.
I had never spoken in front of a crowd before.
I didn’t know what to say.
I wasn’t sure how to act.
I cried and begged my church teacher to give this responsibility to someone else.
“You have the wrong person” I said on and on.
I felt like a fraud.
Seeing that I had been representing my church in quizzes at a regional level, the expectation was high and I knew within me that I couldn’t meet up.
So I prayed.
I asked God to help me.
I told him I didn’t know what to say and how to say it.
I told him I was scared.
I didn’t get a reply.
There was no thunder or lightening.
In fact, the night before the proposed day, I lost my voice.
I could barely talk and my throat was sore.
But I was a child and I barely had any shame.
So I trusted that somehow, everything would work out.
I didn’t know how or when, I just believed that it would.
I don’t know where this faith came from or the trust. It was the first time I was this unshaken by my fear.
Months after this, this same faith came in handy once again as I laid my hands on a growth in my neck.
A growth that had already been scheduled for surgery. It had been three months of hospital trips and my mother’s tears.
But on this particular day, I placed my hands on the growth and prayed that it would disappear and it did.
This and much more is why I am a firm believer that faith moves mountains.
But back to my story.
On the morning of the ministeration, I was unwavering in my resolve.
I didn’t know what I was going to say or how I was going to say it.
I knew my voice was gone but I was steadfast and unmoved.
When my teacher asked if I was ready minutes to the time, I nodded yes against my better judgement.
My voice was still very cracked, it was almost a whisper.
But I mounted that alter with all the resolve I could muster.
I held that mic and till today, I’m not sure how and why it happened, but I saw tears in people’s eyes.
They said I preached but I don’t remember what I said.
All I remember doing is praying, I called God all the names I could think of as I thought about all he meant to me.
I know for a fact that it was God who moved that day and not me.
After the service, I got so many monetary gifts and compliments.
It was this particular day that earned me the nickname “prayer warrior”
Even on the days when I don’t feel like it.
I have seen God move in many mighty ways but it’s these little miracles that stick with me most.
The ones that make you feel seen.
That make you know you are cared for.
That show that your fears matter to him.
I haven’t told this back story to anyone before.
People don’t know that I was scared and shaken.
All they see is a brave girl but all I saw and still see, is a big God.
I tell you this story to stir up something in you.
Little miracles happen everyday in ways that we most often overlook.
Beauty isn’t always in the primp and pomp.
It is in those small interruptions in your day from a God who is utterly crazy about you saying “Hey, I see you and I care”
You matter, so much.
You’re very seen.
When you look at yourself, there are so many limitations.
So many things that you cannot do.
But when God is your focus, you dare to do the impossible.
Mountains can be moved and seas can part.
This focus makes all the difference in the world.
Where is your focus?
What has all of your attention?
I hope this post inspires you to look away from yourself.
And if you’re feeling up to it, share a small miracle with me in the comment section, let’s bask in gratitude today.