Trapped between miracles?
Trapped between miracles?
Some of the stories in this Wingspan add confirmation to what we already know; none of our schools would be in existence without the miraculous intervention of God. Time and again we are reminded of answers to prayer that have sustained us and helped us overcome the circumstances around us.
When Joshua led God’s people across the Jordan to take the first steps into God’s inheritance for them they made a point of marking the spot where God had miraculously helped them (Joshua 3 and 4). What lay ahead of them, though, was no easy passage into all that God had promised. Jericho sat there right in front of them as if to ask them, “OK what are you going to do now?”.
They were trapped between two miracles. No way back, no way forward; unless God intervened. I was listening to a talk about this recently and it set me thinking. It seemed to me that our experience is similar to Joshua in this respect. With God’s help we have come this far but we can go no further without it.
To return to Joshua for a moment, he had a cast-iron word from God about all that would happen. “You will inherit the land, I will give you every place that you put your foot.” He had a promise but he still needed a miracle.
Many of us have promises but we need miracles. Why does God do this to us? It is as though God shows us enough to take us forward but holds back enough to keep us dependent. Without complete dependence on Him and His power we get complacent, we lose our sharpness as discipling communities and we begin to trust in our own abilities. Disaster! Just look at Ai in Joshua 7.
If you need a miracle to help you realise the potential of what God has promised you then hold on for that miracle. Be clear about what God has said and trust that He will do it. Don’t settle for anything less because nothing less than that should satisfy us. If it is completely beyond your ability to bring it about, then that’s good. What glory to God is there if we are asking Him for something that we could do for ourselves? Can you imagine Joshua giving up on day 6?
But isn’t this all a little too triumphalistic? What do we do when it doesn’t happen that way? What happens when the provision doesn’t come, the new pupils don’t arrive and the whole venture is under threat? This isn’t easy because some of our schools have known the pain of this in recent years. Schools have trusted, prayed, believed and closed. There are no easy answers but I am convinced of one thing; we are stronger together than we are apart. I believe that CST has a corporate call from God to influence education within our nation for the good of all. The greater our level of unity, cooperation and commitment, the greater victories we will see for each other. Leviticus 26:8 tells us about the way that obedience and unity brings about greater victories.
The battles that lie ahead of us are greater than any of us have yet faced. We will see miraculous victories together if we hold on together and stand with each other.
Graham Coyle
Some of the stories in this Wingspan add confirmation to what we already know; none of our schools would be in existence without the miraculous intervention of God. Time and again we are reminded of answers to prayer that have sustained us and helped us overcome the circumstances around us.
When Joshua led God’s people across the Jordan to take the first steps into God’s inheritance for them they made a point of marking the spot where God had miraculously helped them (Joshua 3 and 4). What lay ahead of them, though, was no easy passage into all that God had promised. Jericho sat there right in front of them as if to ask them, “OK what are you going to do now?”.
They were trapped between two miracles. No way back, no way forward; unless God intervened. I was listening to a talk about this recently and it set me thinking. It seemed to me that our experience is similar to Joshua in this respect. With God’s help we have come this far but we can go no further without it.
To return to Joshua for a moment, he had a cast-iron word from God about all that would happen. “You will inherit the land, I will give you every place that you put your foot.” He had a promise but he still needed a miracle.
Many of us have promises but we need miracles. Why does God do this to us? It is as though God shows us enough to take us forward but holds back enough to keep us dependent. Without complete dependence on Him and His power we get complacent, we lose our sharpness as discipling communities and we begin to trust in our own abilities. Disaster! Just look at Ai in Joshua 7.
If you need a miracle to help you realise the potential of what God has promised you then hold on for that miracle. Be clear about what God has said and trust that He will do it. Don’t settle for anything less because nothing less than that should satisfy us. If it is completely beyond your ability to bring it about, then that’s good. What glory to God is there if we are asking Him for something that we could do for ourselves? Can you imagine Joshua giving up on day 6?
But isn’t this all a little too triumphalistic? What do we do when it doesn’t happen that way? What happens when the provision doesn’t come, the new pupils don’t arrive and the whole venture is under threat? This isn’t easy because some of our schools have known the pain of this in recent years. Schools have trusted, prayed, believed and closed. There are no easy answers but I am convinced of one thing; we are stronger together than we are apart. I believe that CST has a corporate call from God to influence education within our nation for the good of all. The greater our level of unity, cooperation and commitment, the greater victories we will see for each other. Leviticus 26:8 tells us about the way that obedience and unity brings about greater victories.
The battles that lie ahead of us are greater than any of us have yet faced. We will see miraculous victories together if we hold on together and stand with each other.
Graham Coyle
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