“(s)he hoped to see a miracle done by Him”

Luke 23:8

I’ve been thinking about miracles lately.  Started a few days ago.  Probably because I needed one.

 

I was on my way to Colorado for a conference for a writing project I’m going to be working on for the next year.  I’d made it through security and settled down at my gate to wait for boarding, and I was organizing my carry-on, making sure I knew where everything was so I could grab it easily.  Book, notebook, iphone, gum, travel pillow…. everybody present and accounted for? 

And suddenly I had a bad feeling.  Doncha hate those?  I searched all the pockets of my bag, and thought carefully, then slowly dialed home.  My daughter answered and I said, “I hate to even ask this question, but is the cord to my laptop sitting on the kitchen counter?” 

Sho ’nuff.  I had a laptop and no power cord.  I was going to be gone four days and was planning on using my computer a fair bit for the conference.  Now what?

There was very little I could do at that point.  Not until I landed could I make a few inquiries.  And I knew my battery, though currently fully charged, wasn’t going to last four days. 

And so I started praying for a miracle.  I didn’t even know what my hope was ~ unheard of battery life?  The hotel to offer cords as part of their amenities?  Someone else at the conference to bring a spare cord?  None of those even seemed remotely possible.  And that’s what made me start thinking about the concept of miracles.

Now, sitting there in the airport, there were a lot of things I was praying for.  For my family’s schedule in my absence… for my safety on the plane… for other travel details to go smoothly… for the conference itself and all that it involved.  And I was praying for all of those things, but none of them seemed like I was praying for a miracle.

And I realized it’s because I’d seen those things before.  Smooth travel, safe arrival… God’s done that in my life hundreds of times.  But a battery that refuses to die?  Someone who brings an extra power cord for no reason?  That would be weird.  Miraculous.

 

Ridiculous, isn’t it?  I felt apologetic after that.  How much am I under-appreciating all that God has done?  How much am I taking for granted the sun coming up, and the birth of a child, and the woodpecker who visits my apple tree, and my every heartbeat?

God does miraculous things in my life every day.  And while it’s okay to ask for what I need ~ including the far-fetched requests ~ I need to be including way more “thanks” in my prayers than “pleases”.

And yes, believe it or not, someone had an extra power cord.

~ “Now therefore, stand and see

this great thing which the Lord will do

before your eyes” ~

1 Samuel 12:16

~