The God of Miracles
You know the saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees?” Have you ever wondered what in the world that really means?? I most certainly have!
The idiom means you can’t see the big picture because the focus is too much on the details. Let me explain how this saying has come to life for me in the months since the pandemic began.
I did not want to deal with what was happening around me. I could not handle that people I loved were getting sick with Covid-19. I was scared because I myself deal with many illnesses and am considered at risk.
I spent the entire month of April in my bathrobe, not wanting to get out of bed. I’m quite serious. Then, I felt God ask me this question at the beginning of May:
“Are you ready to get unstuck?”
You see when the quarantine first began, I wanted to put the covers over my head and not deal with any of it. I was stuck in this place of denial. I couldn’t move forward.
I am so grateful for my husband who decided we needed to rally the troops and established a nightly prayer call on Zoom.
It was open to anyone and it became the only reason to get up and out of my bathrobe. When I tell people how I felt, they always seemed shocked. They said that I looked like I was taking it all in stride.
Truth was, I was in denial. I did not want to accept what was happening all around us. NYC was the epicenter of Covid-19 cases in the US. Over 22,000 deaths in the 5 boroughs alone. Hospitals were over-run. People being treated in pop-up triage hospitals in city parks. Then, our best friend of over 25 years got hit with it. Bad.
Jim works for Verizon. His duties include going into homes for installations. He fell ill with Covid-19 and after quite the run around, was finally admitted into the hospital. He battled for almost a month, coming close to being put on a ventilator.
His wife, my bestie - Janet, was sick with it as well as their three children. It was a moment of truth…
Would I succumb to the fear or would I take a stand and believe God for the impossible?
We quickly put together a 24-hour prayer clock where a member of our church each took one hour to pray through for Jim. Janet and I took an hour or so everyday to Face-time to pray and take communion together. Jim came to the very edge of death, then made a turn. It truly was a miracle.
He was released almost a month after being in the hospital. But the battle is not over. Sometimes, we receive the miracle only to have to continue to stand for the rest.
Our friend’s family healed but Jim is still dealing with breathing problems. He will continue to see multiple doctors as the disease has led to other issues. Jim was a completely healthy man. No underlying health issues. It has come as a shock to everyone.
You see, the enemy is out for blood. He sees when you’re down and then kicks you in the gut for good measure.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8-9 that we should, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
Essentially, the enemy of your soul wants you dead.
But let me tell you this…
There is a God in heaven that is mightier. His Son gave us authority to trample the enemy underneath our feet. He cannot take your life.
Getting back to Jim. We rejoiced when he came home from the hospital with a parade of cars from our church family. We held signs, played loud music and drove past his home.
It was joyous.
But this happened solely because of two things:
The church prayed,
And God answered.
Job 9:10 says, “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”
Are you seeing the big picture? The forest for the trees? Here they are, the lessons I’ve learned:
Our prayer team has grown in leaps and bounds and they are stronger than ever in faith, unity and spirit.
Jim, Janet and their children are stronger in their faith than ever before, fully convinced that God is still the God of miracles.
In the middle of it all, God gave me an idea. It was a kind-of “call to arms”. I thought, if I had felt this way, maybe other women did too. I began a 10-day challenge on Instagram and invited women to join me in “getting unstuck” together. That challenge resulted in many women coming together to inspire one another in creating ministry opportunities together. This group is a strong group of warrior women, ready to do battle for God!
So, the next time you find yourself in an impossible situation, I pray that you surround yourself with people that will not sleep, will hit their knees and intercede for you as if you were their own flesh and blood.
That you would believe in the God that still does wonders that cannot be fathomed and miracles that cannot be counted.
God really is in all the details and in the end, you truly will see the forest for the trees.