In Daniel chapter 6, we read the story of Daniel, a Jew who was in the service of the Babylonian king. He conducted himself with such a spirit and attitude of excellence that he found favour with the king who considered putting him in charge of the entire kingdom. The other governors and satraps were not pleased with this and looked for ways to bring charges against him. Unfortunately, they could find none because he truly displayed a spirit of excellence as he carried out his duties.
    They finally encouraged the king to enforce a law whereby anyone praying to any god or person, other than the king himself, within thirty days, would be thrown into the lions’ den. This they did knowing that Daniel prayed regularly to his God. When Daniel found out that the decree had been signed by the king, he went to his room and prayed to his God as was his custom. The men saw him and brought it to the king’s attention. The king in turn did everything in his power to deliver Daniel however, in the end, he had no choice  but to obey the decree he had signed. The next morning, when the king went to check on Daniel, he discovered that the lions had not touched him. Daniel’s God had delivered him. 
    This is a story of God’s miraculous deliverance. It gives us the facts about what happened. However, it does not clearly reveal Daniel’s feelings. What we read is that he heard about the decree and that the king had signed it and that he did exactly what he always did - he went to his room and prayed to his God three times that day. Daniel trusted in his God. He believed in his God. He knew that no matter what happened, his God was in charge and he was going to take care of him. 
    This tells me that Daniel felt peace about the situation. It was what it was, the law had been decreed. No matter what happened, he would still serve his God. I don’t know if fear was present, the account does not say. What it does say is that he went about his business as usual. In fact, when he heard the decree had been signed, he went home and prayed. He did not hesitate, he did not even try to do it in secret. He opened his window toward Jerusalem, as he usually did, and he prayed and gave God thanks.
    Daniel’s peace was because of his confidence and trust in his God. He knew what his God could do. After all, He had delivered his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were thrown into the fiery furnace because they refused to bow before any other god but their own (Daniel 3). And if God could deliver them, He could deliver him as well. 
    In recent times, I have been asking God to fix my eyes and my heart on Him so that no matter what comes my way, I am focused on Him. I may not be able to stop the negative things that will come my way, but I can choose to focus on the One who is able to take me through that situation. I think this is what Daniel did. He chose to keep his eyes fixed on his God. This gave him a sense of peace. No matter how things went, he would not worry, he would not try to compromise to save himself. It was what it was but he was who he was - a servant of the living God and God would take care of him in this situation. The king, on the other hand, was so distressed that he fasted and refused any entertainment, the entire night. The next morning he hurried to the lions’ den hoping to hear that Daniel’s God had delivered him. He was not disappointed and gave glory to Daniel’s God. 
    I pray the same for us, that we would so fix our eyes and heart on our God that no matter what comes our way, we can be at peace knowing that God will take care of us. No one likes when trouble comes, but when our lives are hidden in the God who is able to do all things, we can be at peace. It’s about being at peace in the midst of whatever stormy situation we are facing, because we know that we know that God will take care of us and He will work all things together for our good.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is that agent of peace that enables us to face every negative and fearful situation that comes our way. We can’t stop the negative from happening but when we fix our eyes on Him, He will strengthen us and give us a peace that makes no sense.​

    We are all familiar with the word “peace.” It denotes, freedom from disturbance; tranquility; mental or emotional calm. It seems we are constantly striving towards it but too many times we are not quite able to attain it. It’s a word that may offer hope but may in reality appear quite elusive at times.
     Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace, the One we can turn to when all hell seems to be breaking loose. Time and again, if we allow Him, He can prove to be that stable anchor we need to keep us steady when our world feels shaky and unstable. 
    As I began researching material to write on the whole idea of God being a God of peace, I came across a number of stories alluding to this whole idea of peace. Yet, somehow, they did not get my attention in the way I wanted. I also looked at portions of scripture on peace and a few things caught my attention but didn’t seem to quite grab it. Then Psalm 91 came to my attention. It doesn’t speak about peace per se, but about the confidence we can have in God’s protection. And that grabbed my attention. As I perused this very familiar psalm, I realised that pretty much every verse was reinforcing God’s covering and protection over our lives. But here’s the key - we have to abide in His presence. It is in His presence that we are covered and where we can ultimately find peace.
    It doesn’t speak about taking away or removing the problems, challenges or attacks that may come our way, but about God protecting us, shielding us from every attack that comes. And to me that’s where our peace comes from - knowing that no matter what comes our way, God has our back and He will not allow the enemy to prevail against us. 
    He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2) The opening lines of this psalm cover everything that comes after. It is because we are dwelling in God’s presence, that we are protected from all harm and evil. And it is because we are trusting in Him that we are safe. We are safe because we know that we know, He will take care of us. It’s that quiet confidence and faith that brings a peace that makes no sense, so that as the arrows and the darts come toward us, we know that God is near and the present help we need. 
    Interestingly, this does not necessarily mean the absence of fear in our lives. As we face what we face, fear may be present, but we can also be honest with God and say, “God I am afraid but I trust You.” In 2 Chronicles 20, when king Jehoshaphat and Judah were faced with a combined army coming against them, they were very afraid. Immediately, Jehoshaphat turned to his God. He was honest with Him when he said, “I don’t know what to do but my eyes are on you.” (v.12) He did not pretend they were not in danger and he did not pretend to not be afraid. He was very much afraid but he also knew exactly Who to turn to. He also acknowledged that he felt totally helpless but, he would trust in His God. When God promised to fight for them, Jehoshaphat was at peace knowing that God would fight and win on their behalf. And God did not disappoint!
    So be encouraged. When you choose to abide in God’s presence and trust in Him, you can and will have peace knowing that He has your back and He will take care of you. God will not let you down. He is the God of peace.
    If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. In a world filled with chaos, we all need to be find that peace that only God can give, a peace that makes no sense at times. God is our peace. He will not fail us.

    This theme of mercy has truly been an encouragement to me at various times. It has been a reminder to me that God has the final say, especially when circumstances and situations seem to dictate otherwise.
    I am reminded of the story of Mephibosheth in the Bible. He was the grandson of king Saul. After Saul’s disobedience to God in 1 Samuel 15, God rejects him as king over His people, Israel. Through the prophet Samuel, He tells him that He will give his kingdom to someone else, ideally rejecting not just him but his family line after him. 
    Years later, however, when David becomes the new king over Israel, David, who was a close friend of Jonathan, Saul’s son, chooses to show kindness to any member of Saul’s household that could be found (2 Samuel 9). Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son is mentioned to the king. In his kindness, David restores all the land that had belonged to Saul. As if that is not enough, he declares that he would always eat at his table (v.7).
    This is a story of mercy. In his latter days, Saul had been unfairly unkind to David and had tried to take his life. David could have felt justified to, in turn, show unkindness to Saul’s surviving household. Instead he chose to be a blessing. However, there is another part to this story. Mephibosheth was lame in his feet. He was five years old when news of his father’s and grandfather’s death came. His nurse picked  him up and as she hurried to leave with him, he fell and became lame in his feet (2 Samuel 4:4). Mephibosheth sees himself as useless and not deserving of this great honour and blessing from the king: “What is your servant that you should notice a dead dog like me?” (2 Samuel 9:8) Yet, David is not moved by who his family is or his physical condition. He chooses to show kindness and mercy to someone who  is deemed undeserving. 
    It’s the same with us and God. At times, we may not feel deserving of God’s kindness and mercy toward us. We know that we have done wrong, we know that our life is not perfect, we know that circumstances may deem us unfit for goodness to come our way. Yet, God does not see the way man sees. He does not choose to love us or be kind to us because we are deserving. It that were the case, I think you would agree that our lives would be miserable. 
    I thank God that He is not a God who judges the way man judges; He does not view things the way man does. His ways and thoughts are and will thankfully always be higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). God is good. God is merciful. Period. It is not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of who He is and because of His mercy and love toward us.
    When Jesus came to this earth to die for you and me, it wasn’t because we were deserving of His grace and mercy, because we weren’t. It was because God loves us and chose instead to make a way for us to escape the consequences we do deserve - eternal damnation. Mephibosheth never expected goodness to come his way, but it did. I think at times, we too, as God’s children, feel undeserving when goodness comes our way. Yet, Psalm 103:17 says: “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children’s children.” 
    This is just a simple reminder that God loves you. Period. His mercies are new every morning and they are eternal. He will always want the best for you and will always choose to be good to you even when, at times, you don’t deserve it. God is good. God is love. God is the God of mercy.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. We all need a God who loves and cares about us, whether we feel deserving or not. God will never fail us, He will never abandon us, He will always be there when we need Him. Be encouraged.

    In the Old Testament, we read the story of king Hezekiah, considered one of Judah’s most righteous kings. When he became king at the age of twenty-five, he restored Temple worship (2
Chronicles 29: 20-36), reversed his father’s idolatrous practices (2 Kings 18:3-4), and restored the celebration of the Passover (2 Chronicles 30). When the Assyrians came against Judah, he trusted in his God and God miraculously delivered them (2 Chronicles 32:1-23).
    Yet, for all his righteous and admirable acts, there came a time when Hezekiah faced certain death. He became sick with a fatal illness. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord instructed him to set his house in order because he was going to die, he would not survive. Hezekiah, in his distress, turned his face to the wall and cried out to God. He asked God to remember how he had walked in integrity before Him and how he had done good in His sight and he wept bitterly.
    Before Isaiah had even left the middle court, the Lord sent a message to him for Hezekiah. He told him that He had heard his prayer and seen his tears and He would heal him. He would also add fifteen years to his life!
    As I thought again about writing on God’s mercy, this story came to my mind. What I love is the reality of God’s love for us. Hezekiah had done a lot for the Lord, that was true. But when the time came for him to die and at the hands of an incurable disease, it seemed to him and everyone that it was the end. Even the prophet Isaiah, came to him with death news from the Lord. Hezekiah could have given up. He could have accepted his fate and allowed it to be the final judgement on his life but he did not. He cried out to his God and God heard him and gave a favourable response. Certainly, he put his case before God, reminding Him of all the good he had done and of his faithfulness to Him. 
    God is not an unreasonable God. In Isaiah 1:18a, He says: “Come now, and let us reason together…” God actually invites us to plead our case before Him. He is not so harsh that He refuses to listen when we speak. He is willing to hear what we have to say. In the case of Hezekiah, He could not help but acknowledge all that Hezekiah had done for Him. He not only listened but gave a favourable response. Right here, I see God’s mercy. God did not have to listen to Hezekiah’s plea for his life. He could have simply said, “It’s over. It’s time. There is nothing you can do or say to change my mind.” Yet, He didn’t just listen, He chose to listen and He chose to be merciful and spare Hezekiah’s life and add more years to him. Hezekiah’s illness did not have the final say, God’s mercy did!
    I think there are times when God’s mercy overextends itself. We can all probably think of times like this; times when we did not deserve a second, third or even fourth chance, but God gave it. I have experienced God giving me chances when I did not even deserve it, and, can I say, I certainly appreciated it! I think sometimes His mercy doesn’t even make sense but God is not concerned about what makes sense to us. He knows what is best and if He chooses to be merciful, just like Jesus was to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:32-43), then there is nothing we can do about it. Lamentations 3:23 says: “His mercies are new every morning...” His mercies are not new every week, or every month or every year, but every morning! It’s almost as if God does not want us to rely on old mercies. He makes sure that He renews His mercy every single day!
    In what ways has God shown mercy to you? How thankful are you that it is His mercy and love that are sustaining and keeping you? You don’t have to give in to despair when you don’t always get it right or when the situation seems irreversible. God’s mercy will sustain you and He knows exactly how to turn things around in your favour. In fact, His mercy has the final say, not the challenge you are facing. Isn’t it an amazing thing to have this much help from God? You don’t have to do life on your own. He is always there and He will always help us when we need it. Be encouraged!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. In this life, we all need a merciful God on our side. Challenges, temptations and situations will come to throw us off and upset us. But, when we turn to God, He will listen, He understands and He will answer. 
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    In Genesis Chapter Four, we read the story of Cain and Abel, sons of Adam and Eve. Cain worked the soil while Abel took care of the sheep. In the process of time, they both brought offerings to the Lord - Cain some of the fruits of the soil and Abel the fat of some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord was pleased with and accepted Abel’s offering but he did not accept Cain’s offering. Because of this, Cain became very angry and while he and Abel were in the field, he killed him.
    When God confronted him about the whereabouts of his brother, he denied knowing anything. But God told him that his brother’s blood had cried out to him from the ground. As a result, he would no longer be able to cultivate the ground and would be a fugitive and vagabond in the earth. Cain complained that his punishment was too great and feared that anyone finding him would kill him. God in turn put a mark on him so that anyone finding him would not kill him.
    I admit I felt excited to write about this story of Cain. Cain was deserving of every punishment that was coming his way. After all he had taken his brother’s life and that was certainly worthy of death. His life on earth would consequently be a very difficult one where he would find no peace or favour with man or even the earth itself. He lost his livelihood, he lost his sense of security, all because of responding to a fit of jealous rage. 
    Yet, what I find interesting is that he had a conversation with God about it. He complained about the severity of his punishment and feared for his very life when ironically he had taken the life of another. Yet, I love the fact that God chose to be merciful to him. He could have ignored his cry of complaint. He could have reminded him that this punishment was what he deserved. After all, he had not given Abel a chance to plead for his life. He had not chosen to lessen his wrath against his brother. He did what he did and apparently thought he would get away with it. Yet, in spite of these obvious realities, God in His mercy and compassion, chose to spare him death at the hands of another. Imagine that!
    God’s ways are truly past finding out. They make absolutely no sense to us at times but when God chooses to show compassion and mercy it means He is also choosing to look past our sin and love us anyway. I am reminded of the whole story of salvation. As I mentioned in my last post, God’s mercy is not dependent on our works or on how good we are. When we cry out to Him He will hear and He will be merciful. I believe that if Cain had not had his conversation with God, things would have been different for him. God literally offered his protection although he did not deserve it.
    Romans 10:13 says: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That’s a promise from God and when we cry out to him for mercy, He will not reject us. We may have to face some consequences for our actions, yes, but God’s mercy and compassion will also be evident in our lives. I liken the mark put on Cain by God to Jesus’ blood covering us. When we ask Jesus into our life to be our Lord and Saviour, His blood covers us. In turn, when God looks upon us, He does not see our sin but the blood of His Son on us. That blood covers and protects us from the punishment we deserve for the sin in our life. 
    All that this tells me is that God is more interested in saving us from the consequences of sin. He is more interested in sparing us the death penalty we deserve simply because He loves us. At the end of the day, no matter how deep we may have gone into sin, once we turn to God and ask Him for mercy, just like Cain turned to Him and complained about his punishment, God will hear and He will extend mercy to us. God is good. God is faithful. God is still the God of mercy!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God has provided what we need to escape the consequences of sin. All we have to do is cry out to Him and He will hear and He will deliver. Be encouraged!

    The reality is we are living in a world where works can mean everything. We work hard to achieve and to feel accomplished. Many times we work hard for the approval of others, specifically some significant person or other in our lives. 
    What I love about God, is that He never asks or expect us to come to Him perfect. He knows we are not because, after all, He created us. In fact He created us so that we would need Him. So, although we may try so hard to win the approval of others to feel good about ourselves, we don’t have to strive to win God’s approval. We don’t have to strive for His love. We can come to Him just as we are and He will help us as needed. His mercy toward us is great and doesn’t require any “goodness” on our part to obtain it.
    Here, I think about the story of Jesus and the crucifixion (Luke 23:32-43). He is wrongfully accused and convicted and His sentence is death. He humbly accepts it knowing the ultimate and greater purpose behind it. But, while he hangs there on that cross, He is not alone. There are also two other men, criminals, who are crucified on either side of Him. One of them hurls insults at Him saying that if He is Messiah, He should save them and Himself. But there is the other criminal, the one who somehow is able to discern the reality of what is happening. He rebukes his fellow criminal. He asks him if he doesn’t fear God and asserts that they deserve their fate but Jesus does not because He has done nothing wrong (v.40-41). Then, turning to Jesus in humility, he asks Him to remember him when He comes into His kingdom (v.42). To this Jesus responds, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v.43).
    I find myself smiling as I read Jesus’ response. He could easily have told that criminal that it was too late, He could not honour His request. He could easily have reminded him of his sin and his crime and told him that he should have done some more good to be able to have his request granted. In short, Jesus could have turned him away … but He did not. This criminal was the reason why Jesus came to this earth to die. And, while that criminal was still alive, even though he was a short time away from death, as far as Jesus was concerned, he still had a chance to receive eternal life. He did not need to have lived a good life filled with good deeds. He did not need to come down from his cross and do a few good works before he died. At that moment, when he felt convicted of his sin and chose to turn to Jesus, it was enough. Jesus knew what He had to do and He did it … He offered him eternal life.
    If works were the perequisite to eternal life, many who chose to turn to God on their deathbed would have been turned away by God. But the reality is, it’s not about our works or how good we are, it’s about God’s mercy. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Mercy is defined as: compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. God’s choice to pardon us and give us another chance is His act of mercy towards us. 
    God is more than willing to pardon us when in fact what we deserve is punishment. Lamentations 3:22-23 says: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” I don’t know about you, but that is an encouragement to me. I am not serving a harsh, judgmental, God who is eagerly waiting to punish me at every opportunity. Rather, I am serving a God who does not run out of compassion and love for me, a God who consistently sees the opportunity to forgive me even though what I deserve is punishment. 
    So, I encourage you today, no matter what you have done or failed to do, don’t ever think of turning away from God. Rather, run to Him for He is more than willing to abundantly pardon.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is the God of mercy, more than willing to forgive you because He loves you and desires the very best for you. Be encouraged!

    While helping her son clean up construction debris at his home, Karen started experiencing symptoms of an allergic reaction. Her skin began itching off and on. Around the same time, she had her hair done by a new hair stylist and felt that maybe she was allergic to the hair chemicals. Shortly after, she began to lose a lot of hair to the point where she feared she would have to use a wig. She visited the dermatologist and he prescribed medication. However, she was reluctant to use it.
    She turned instead to intense prayer. She told God that she didn’t understand what was happening but she was going to wait on Him. For six months she prayed for healing but experienced no sign of improvement. However, one day she picked up her phone to watch the 700 Club. The prayer segment was on. She hoped that one of the announcers would mention her problem … and they did. She knew that that word of knowledge and prayer were for her. She began to cry, stopped what she doing, lifted her hands and thanked God for hearing her. Shortly after, she noticed that she was no longer suffering from heavy hair loss. She simply has the regular hair loss she is accustomed to from washing or brushing her hair. She acknowledges that hair loss is not a big sickness but what she was going through mattered to her so it mattered to God. He has our best interests at heart.
    The word “miracle” may conjure up in our mind something big and impossible like maybe the parting of a Red Sea, or someone being delivered from a near death experience or an impossible healing where doctors say there is no hope. I was moved by the above testimony because it is a miracle. It may seem insignificant, but it’s a miracle nonetheless. I love the fact that God is concerned about everything about us. He is not only interested in performing big, impossible feats that everyone would be sure to notice. But He also does those little, seemingly insignificant things that He knows we care about.
    The Bible also contains such stories of small miracles. Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding feast falls into this category (John 2:1-11). Jesus did not come onto the scene in a blaze of glory. They had run out of wine and Jesus simply did something about it. In fact, few people at that wedding knew that Jesus had turned the water into wine. With this simple miraculous feat, He saved the bridegroom from embarrassment and exalted him in the eyes of his guests.
    In Matthew 17:24-27, Jesus and Peter are faced with having to pay the temple tax. Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and in the mouth of the first fish he catches, he would find a coin. This he would use to pay both his and Jesus’ temple tax. This was not a miracle for the public to see. They needed the money for the tax and the Lord chose to provide it in this supernatural way. 
    There are many other stories in the Bible about tiny, personal miracles that met the needs of one person or another. It was not always about calming a storm or parting a large body of water. God is concerned about those areas of our life that matter to us. I like to think about God as a personal God, because He is. Sometimes we may be afraid to pray for something because it seems too unimportant to pray about but guess what? God is concerned about that unimportant issue simply because it is important to us. His love for us is greater than we can ever think or imagine. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is a personal God. He cares about the big as well as the little things that we face. He loves us and has our best interests at heart. Nothing is too big or too small for Him to accomplish for us. Be encouraged!

    I felt led to write about the God of miracles this second month of the year. The thing is, there are so many miracles in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, not to mention those we experience today, that it has been difficult to choose out one or the other. Yet, this week, the miracle of the great catch of fish which Simon Peter and a few other disciples caught seemed to get my attention.
    In Luke 5:1-11, we meet Simon Peter, James and John. They are in the water washing their fishing nets with their boats nearby. Jesus is addressing the crowd and chooses Simon Peter’s boat to sit in while doing so. When He is finished speaking, He instructs Simon Peter to sail out into deep waters and to let down his net. Simon Peter reveals that they had tried all night to catch fish but were unsuccessful. However, he agreed to do it because Jesus had asked him to. They were astonished at the results. The catch of fish was so big that their nets began to break. When they asked their friends in another boat for help and the fish loaded into both boats, the two boats began to sink under the weight of the number of fish.
    A few things come to mind with this story. One, when Simon Peter and his companions first tried, they failed. They were out all night but could catch not even one fish. The effort is admirable, after all this is the way they made their living and clearly they worked hard. But once Jesus came into the picture, things changed. Their first effort was on their own strength, based on what they knew to do as experienced fishermen. However, when God came into the picture, He was able to do what they could not. Sometimes, we just have to let go of our ability, of our effort - admirable as it may be - and let God take the reins. I think sometimes God just allows us to try and fail so that we can clearly see that He is able to do what we can’t.
    Second, Simon Peter made an interesting statement before letting down the nets again. He said: “…but because You say so, I will let down the nets” (v.5). He first acknowledged their inability to get the job done then he agreed to obey simply because Jesus asked him to do it. I think sometimes, it’s about being willing to obey the simple instruction God gives us. Maybe sometimes we miss our blessing because we don’t want to trust God enough to obey what He asks us to do. His instruction doesn’t make sense, we may have even tried already and failed multiple times so we are not motivated to try one more time. But sometimes all it probably takes is a simple act of obedience whether or not it makes sense to us. And sometimes it may mean trying one more time when we are exhausted from trying and failing. But remember, we may have tried and failed in our strength and ability, now it may be time to try again but in God’s strength and ability. 
    This brings me to my third point: when we are all out of options, God always has one more option to try. In our eyes, giving up may seem to be the last and only option we have, but with God in it, there is always one more option, one more solution. I don’t believe God is ever out of options. He is able to see way beyond our scope of vision and is actually quite able to create solutions as needed. Yes, God still has the final say, not the problem, but God. 
    So be encouraged. God still has the final say. Simon Peter was faced with the reality of their failure to catch fish the night before, but Jesus had another outcome planned. Once Simon Peter chose to obey Jesus’ simple instruction, he was not disappointed and neither will you be. We can’t always dictate how things will turn out and we certainly can’t always trust our failed experiences. But, when God steps into the picture, anything is possible, even the outcome that we least expected. After all, God is still the God of miracles!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. You can never go wrong serving a God who is able to reverse any negative situation. God just wants the best for us but He also wants us to trust Him and when we do, we will not be disappointed.
    

    One of the great characteristics of God is that He is the God of the impossible. It is no wonder then that numerous stories of miracles can be found throughout the pages of the Bible. There are miracles of healing and deliverance, miracles in nature, miracles of restoration and the list goes on. God is able to supernaturally affect every sphere of life and with each miracle God seems to be reminding us that He is capable of showing up and showing out no matter how impossible the situation might be.
    This gives us confidence in Jehovah God as we are reminded that He is not only capable of performing events that cannot be explained but that there is nothing that we will face or go through that He cannot handle on our behalf. It does not matter how dire the doctor’s report, how bleak the financial outlook or how irreparable a relationship, God is able to resolve and turn any situation around.
    Of the many stories of miracles in the Bible, two stand out - Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41) and Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33). Both stories remind us that at times, there will be forces coming against us that we cannot control. Yet, what is bigger and more powerful than us, is not bigger or more powerful than our God. 
    But in both stories, something interesting takes place. In the first story, Jesus and His disciples are in a boat. By the time the storm arises, Jesus is asleep on a pillow. Jesus is not disturbed by what is happening around them and does not awake until the disciples wake Him up. Imagine, the waves are crashing into the boat and filling it yet, Jesus is not awakened by all this disturbing activity around Him. 
    In the next story, Jesus is on land praying while His disciples are in the boat. He is able to see them struggling against the contrary winds and proceeds to walk on water towards them. Just like the first story, the winds are strong and the waters are rough, yet Jesus is calmly walking towards them as if nothing is happening. I believe that Jesus’ attitude in both situations simply meant that He knew exactly who was in charge … and it was not nature. It was Him. He was not about to be moved or concerned by contrary situations that He was quite capable of controlling. 
    In both stories, once the disciples turned to the One who was in control, they did not need to be afraid because their God was the answer to what was coming against them. I believe we too, need to be reminded that our God is the answer to whatever is coming against us. Whatever we face usually looks and feels bigger and more powerful than us, yet, the God we serve, the God living inside of us, is greater than what is coming against us. 
    It is also good to be reminded that our God has the final say … not whatever is coming against us. It may feel intimidating and look intimidating but it can never prevail against our God. When we choose to turn to and fix our eyes on the God of miracles, He is able to fix things in a way that just sometimes doesn’t make sense. 
    So be encouraged. As a child of God, you are not serving a dead God, you are not serving a weak God. You are serving a God who is able to do impossible things. He is Jehovah Nissi - the Lord My Banner / the Lord My Miracle (Exodus 17:15). He can turn any situation around, He can make any wrong right, He can reverse any negative situation and work things out in your favour. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. In this life, there is nothing that we face that God cannot handle. He is and will always be the God of miracles, able to do the impossible, able to take us successfully through any challenge that may come our way.
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    One night in December 2023, Lauren, a high school senior, and her boyfriend were hit by a drunk driver. They were both pinned in their seats. While Lauren’s boyfriend was able to free himself, it took firefighters more than 20 minutes to free Lauren from the wreckage. She was barely responsive and unable to follow commands, showing signs of a massive head injury. When her mother arrived, she asked if she could lay hands on her and pray for her.
    Lauren survived the flight to the hospital. There it was discovered that she had an open scull fracture with brain matter coming out of her skull, the pressure inside her head was too high, she had several fractures and was bleeding internally. Her father sent out prayer requests for her on social media. Her mother, a former trauma nurse, continued to trust Jesus for her daughter’s healing. After some days, the pressure in her brain started to decrease and stabilise and she was gradually weaned off medication. After two weeks she began to regain consciousness and started being able to follow commands. After thirty-nine days in the hospital, Lauren was transferred to rehab. She regained her ability to walk and talk and was able to walk across the stage at her school graduation.
    Over a period of time, Lauren also had to deal with her feelings for the drunk driver who hit her. She has chosen to forgive him knowing that that is what Jesus would have done.
    I found myself getting emotional at times while listening to this testimony. It seemed like one of those impossible situations that had you wondering how it would end. When I looked at Lauren’s car in the video, even I wondered how could she have possibly survived and hearing that she had brain matter coming out of her skull did not help to improve my opinion of the outcome. Truly, this was a case for God, the God of the impossible. 
    I was encouraged by her mother’s faith in her God. She was a former trauma nurse and would have witnessed her share of accidents. She rightly admitted that her faith brain was battling with her medical brain. She knew what could happen and even should happen from a medical standpoint but she chose to believe that her God would pull her daughter through. And He did. He did not disappoint them. 
    Have you ever been in an impossible situation where you knew what the outcome should be yet, you chose to believe God anyway for a miracle? I have personally discovered that it is easy to trust God when things look favourable but when they don’t and your eyes don’t see what you want to see, faith in God can be downright difficult. But according to Hebrews 11:1 that’s what faith in the God of miracles is all about: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." You don’t have to see it to believe it. Rather, you have to trust God to make a reality what your eyes can’t see. That’s why the Bible also says that we need to walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)  ). If we relied on our senses we would always be discouraged. Trusting God means believing that He is able to and will do what is impossible for us to accomplish. 
    I have had enough opportunities to trust God in spite of what I was seeing and experiencing. I have honestly told God that it is so easy to trust Him when things are going the way I would like but when they are not, trust is difficult. Yet, it is those difficult situations that God uses to increase and strengthen my faith in Him. Sometimes it’s not even about if He can but if He will. How many of you can relate? We know God can but will He do it?
    I can say that trusting God has never been a waste of time for me. God continues to take me successfully through every situation I face. And that’s just who God is. He loves us and genuinely wants the best for us. He is still the God of miracles, the God who can and will do the impossible for you, just because He loves you.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. There will be times in life when we will have to face insurmountable challenges. Yet, with God on our side we can have the confidence that He is there and He is able to do what we can’t … the impossible!