Fertilizing the Growth of a Miracle

A Cup of Tea with Carol
Written By Carol McLeod

I am watching a miracle unfold in the life of one of my friends.

A bona fide … actual … too-good-to-be-true … undeniable M.I.R.A.C.L.E.!!!

Well … it’s not a parting of the sea … turning water into wine … raising a little girl from the dead kind of miracle … but none-the-less it is a miracle indeed to my friend and to all of us who have been praying for this particular miracle.

It’s a miracle to all of us who have stood in faith with her … who have held up her arms … who have prayed non-stop for her … who have encouraged her … who have sent her scriptures … who have dried her tears … and who have taken her out to coffee time after time after time “just cuz”.

“Just cuz” we cared about her and hated seeing her in a place of pain.

“Just cuz” we loved her.

And now … the miracle is unfolding and we are all breathless!  We are all giddy with excitement and with gratitude.

We are jumping up and down like little girls at a birthday party and none of us can wipe the amazing grins off of our middle age faces.

I remember when my children were little, we used to sing this well-loved song … “I anticipate the inevitable supernatural intervention of God … I expect a miracle … I expect a miracle … I expect a miracle!”

And now … in my friend’s life … the inevitable, supernatural intervention of God that she has anticipated for years and years has exploded in the visible miracle that is indisputable and glorious!

As I have watched my friend’s life for nearly ten years … and as I have begged God for this particular miracle to take place … I have often wondered what it takes for a miracle to arrive on earth from the shores of heaven.

I have asked God if there was a formula … or pre-requisites … or a limited number of miracles offered on a daily basis.

What does it take to experience a miracle?

And do you want to know what I believe?  I believe that there is no formula … there are no pre-requisites … and the miracles that God has for His children are unlimited and infinite!

However … I also believe that often the choices that we make on earth fertilize the growth of miracles this side of heaven.

Miracles, which are all birthed in the heart of Father God and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, do indeed have a petri dish in which to grow. 

Miracles need a particular environment in which they are able to flourish and multiply.  Before miracles are ever seen with the human eye, they must be nurtured in the human heart.

As I have watched the life of my friend and the choices that she has made which fertilized the dry soil of her life … she has prepared the way for the miraculous to bloom in her life!

I have observed 4 definite determinates that she has made day after day … year after year.  When there was absolutely no sign of a miracle, this friend of mine did not take her gaze off of Jesus and carried on in champion-like behavior and with victorious attitudes.

May I share with you the 4 decisions that she made which may have paved the way for her miracle?  Trust me … if it worked for my friend … it might just work for you! 

Let me be quick to assure you that these choices are not a formula to guarantee a miracle … but they are decisions that will fan the flame of the miraculous and will encourage the growth of that which today seems impossible.

1 – She has prayed.  She has asked the people around her to pray.  She has never stopped praying.  She has prayed during hard days and during easy days.  She has prayed while the miracle tarried and has stayed on her knees through many dark nights.

When you choose to pray … you are planting the very seeds of promised miracles in your life.

2 – She has believed.  Even when the days were desperately difficult and there was no visible evidence that anything at all was changing … she believed for the possibility of a change.  She never despaired but stayed in a place of hope and faith.  She believed the best when others would have given up … given in … and walked away.

Purchase this print for only $10 (valid through 7-1-15)

Purchase this print for only $10 (valid through 7-1-15)

When you choose to believe in the possibility of a miracle … your belief is the rain that waters the hard, dry ground of impossible situations.

3 – She has continued to do the right thing … day after day after day.  I have watched this desperate friend of mine continue to serve others … continue to read her Bible every day… continue to enter into whole-hearted worship … and continue to set an atmosphere of love and joy in her family home.  Although her heart was breaking, her life continued on in peace and righteousness because she knows of no other way to live.

When you choose to do the right thing even in the face of disappointment and discouraging circumstances … your Godly choices are the sunshine that beams down on the garden that is producing your long-awaited miracle.

4 – She has not alienated herself from others but has chosen to accept the support of friends who had the courage to stand in faith with her.  When going through days of heart pain and despondency, this strong girl knew that she couldn’t make it alone and so she wisely invited a few friends into her pain.  She shared her heart with these friends, allowed these well-chosen friends to speak into her life and asked these powerful friends to pray. 

When you choose friendship over loneliness … and when you choose the stability of a safe community over the danger of solitary living … the weeds of doubt and negativity will not have a chance to choke the early growth of a miracle!

Do you need a miracle today?  Are you in a place of heart pain and discouragement?  If you are … go back to the top of this blog and read it all over again.  Be encouraged my friend … a miracle is on its way!

Subscribe to Carol's Blog by Email

Carol McLeod
Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!
Previous

Where Did Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer Go?
Next

The Greatest Women of the 20th Century