The Year Of The Miracle
Tiffany Ann Lewis

As a believer, I’m calling 2006 ‘the year of the miracle’.  I’ve heard it said that a miracle settles the issue.  I’m not talking about the miracle in and of itself but rather the miracle that settles the issue of belief/unbelief within the believer’s heart.  Jesus says if you believe and do not doubt in your heart, you will receive. (Mark 11:23-24, Matt. 17:20)  You see it is possible to believe God in areas A, B & C and not believe in areas D, E & F.  Thomas was this type of believer and the Lord in His mercy invited Thomas to reach out and touch the miracle of His hands and side thus settling the issue of Thomas’ doubt forever in his heart. (John 20:24-27)

In Mark 9:24 we see a father who brought Jesus his son who had been tortured since his childhood with sickness.  He asked Jesus, “if You can do anything have compassion on us.”  Jesus put the issue back on the father and says if you can believe all things are possible.  Immediately the father broke down in tears and confesses from the depth of his being “I believe, help my unbelief!”  Dad confessed he believed in some areas but not in others.  He had faith enough to get to Jesus but not enough faith to move the mountain that was in his son’s life.  He knew his area of unbelief and more importantly, he confessed it.  There is no shame in unbelief, only shame in denying it. 

Jesus was not surprised by his unbelief nor will He be surprised by ours.  One of the Hebrew names for God is Jehovah Jireh meaning *sees, looks after, regards* and carries the idea of God making provision when He sees the need.  God sees whatever I need.  He regards the lowly state of my heart even if it’s an area of unbelief and He looks after it by, if necessary, providing the miracle to settle the issue.  Sometimes we don’t even know that we have an area of unbelief but Jehovah Jireh our Provider sees/knows and cares too much to leave us there.

Zechariah was a believer who didn’t even know he had an area of unbelief in his heart.  In essence he was praying for something he didn’t have the faith to receive.  The angel Gabriel told him his prayers were answered and that at long last his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son, yet he didn’t believe.  The bible says that because of his unbelief Zechariah would be mute till all was fulfilled.  The ‘all’ being their son would be named John. (Luke 1:5-25)  It was the muteness that settled the issue of unbelief in his heart.

O’ the miracle of muteness.J  My husband probably wouldn’t mind if that miracle came upon me now and again.  It would have taken some time to have actual evidence that Elizabeth was pregnant; they didn’t have early detection pregnancy tests back then.  Because they were both well advanced in years, Elizabeth was probably on her way into menopause so not having her monthly cycle would not be evidence.  Not being able to talk for 9 months, well now that’s a big deal!  The miracle of muteness had settled the issue of unbelief in his heart and showed them both that the Word of God is true hence they named their son John instead of Zechariah.  

Jesus said it would be easier for the whole earth to be destroyed than for God not to accomplish His Word. (Luke 16:17)  WOW!  That’s powerful.  In Luke 5, we find Jesus in the boat with Peter after Peter had a full night of unsuccessful fishing.  Jesus tells him to throw the net over the other side of the boat.  Exhausted, disappointed, and ready to quit, Peter replies; “I’ve been at this all night nevertheless, at Your Word I will cast the net.”  Peter chose to take the leap of faith and simply believe God at His Word.  The net, of coarse, comes up with an abundance of fish.  The point of the miracle was to settle the area of unbelief in Peter’s heart and cause faith, hope, and the greatest of all, love to arise. 

God doesn’t want to leave us in our unbelief.  He is willing to settle the issue, so willing in fact that He will even use a miracle to settle the issue if necessary.  We can grow content and learn to live without the abundance Jesus promised when a situation seems hopeless.  But Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  We cannot receive until we believe.  This year, let’s resolve to confess our unbelief and allow our Father, who art in heaven, to settle the issue that hides within our heart.  Lord, we believe, help our unbelief!