July 27, 2021 Reflection on “It Took a Miracle…”

It took a miracle to put the stars in place. It took a miracle to hang the world in space!

      What is a miracle? To me, a Miracle is God’s Love enveloping us with His undeserved and unexpected Kindness and Grace.

God’s Love is for the purpose to save us to be His Children. Often, we are blinded by the world and do not see the works of our Lord.

The first four verses of Psalm 19 tell us of the Joy of His Love. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

         Reading these words, I recall a memory of the joy Mother saw in each flower that bloomed. Curious, I asked why she loved flowers. “God created these flowers.” That is when I began to see the world differently. Then I recalled the first chapter of Genesis and see that we live in a universe created by the God who loves us. The valleys, the mountains, the majestic trees that worship God all day, the birds that praise Him with their God-given joyous melodies. One morning I heard a different bird song. Peering out the window, I saw a very tiny bird. Then I reveled in awe and wonder of our Lord God, who created a vast universe overlooked by the stars at night and the sun during the day. This God also created this tiny bird. The bird’s song gave me a moment to worship our Lord.

The stars in the sky – numberless and brilliant points of light in the sky – tell a story. I remember watching the stars as a child in the early evenings. God created the Star that led the wisemen to where His Son, Jesus, lay in a manger. Stars remind of the magnificent creation of our Lord God. Then I remember the composer, John Peterson, who wrote the opening lyrics, also wrote these lines. But when He saved my soul, Cleansed and made me whole, It took a miracle of love and grace!

John Peterson, while piloting goods across the Hump in China, flew close to the stars, and he saw more than a sky full of stars, he saw the evidence of the Love of God who sent His Son to save our souls from this world of sin and temptation.

Our citizenship is in heaven, and we await a Savior’s return, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21.

Why do the stars cause wonder? He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. Psalm 147:4-5. And this powerful God chose each of us before He created the astounding world.

On earth, we measure our power by what we can control. God measures power by what He can give. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered, O offspring of Abraham, His servant, children of Jacob, His chosen ones!  Psalm 105:4-6.

During the brief three years of the ministry of Jesus, He often taught how God, His Father, is different. But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26. We have a limit to our abilities simply because we are not God.

Job had a talk with God when he suffered great loss of wealth and his family. God answered him out of a whirlwind, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:4-7.

The Holy Word is not filled with useless words to ignore, but it is the food that feeds us, quenches our thirst, and draws us ever more closely to the Father in Heaven who has the power to change our hearts. This is Grace that redeems us and makes us His Children.

How did Noah learn to walk with God and build the Ark? Why did Abraham, at 99 years of age, travel to an unknown promised land? “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you and may multiply you greatly.” Genesis 17:1b-2. Why did Mary listen to the Angel who came with the message that she would bear a son named Jesus? How did she answer the angel? And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38.

         Why did Peter deny Jesus three times and then become a disciple appearing at the transfiguration? And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Matthew 17:1-3.

Now we read Peter’s words in 1st and 2nd Peter and we know he became changed even as we can change through the Holy Spirit, when we understand Whose we are. The Who we become when we walk with Jesus is Forgiven, Believing, Trusting in the Great Love of God.

          When I learned what B.C. means as a young girl, I knew how important our Jesus in this world.

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. I John 3:23-24.

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:12-14.

“It takes a Miracle of Love and Grace!”