Everyone wants the Red Sea moments. When Moses stood before the Red Sea, there was no denying that God was there, providing an exceptional way out of their troubles. It was an unmistakable miracle.
God doesn’t do only big signs and wonders. He is in the small things too. When Elijah was hiding in fear, he experienced a great wind, earthquake, and fire. Yet God was in the still small voice that followed all the big stuff.
It is easy to judge our situations and offer our own ideas of how God should move to help us. Reading through scriptures, it becomes evident that my ways are not God’s ways. Take for example, the feeding of thousands from 5 loaves and 2 fish. God supernaturally multiplied the food so much so that 12 baskets of leftovers remained. If I were there, I may have expected that God would have rained down bread or caused a heap of loaves to suddenly appear for all the people to see. Instead, it was a more discreet miracle, and one that required people around to watch and recognize.
Whenever I find myself in a challenging situation, I look for God. I live in the mindset that God is around me and wanting to reveal Himself to me. I have a relationship with God and the Bible. This is critical because having a knowledge of God allows me to recognize Him. I often pray for big Red Sea miracles, but I usually get smaller glimpses of God, which remind me that He is there. Because of this, I am careful to not discount the small things.
Photo credit: Kevin Carden on Lightstock.com.
I have watched my daughter overcome numerous health issues over her 14 years of life. She has endured several surgeries and dozens of serious hospital admissions. There are moments from the past that are filled with heartache, panic, and fear. Nuzzled inside those times are also instances of faith, power, and hope.
I have recognized God in the 5 am text from a friend, containing a scripture I needed to read just as my daughter’s breathing was worsening. God has been in the song that I kept playing for myself during a particularly rough hospital stay, and then hearing that song on the radio in the short 8-mile drive to the hotel. God has been in the scripture I read that gave hope that this too would pass. The Holy Spirit has whispered words of encouragement to my soul when I was silent enough to listen. God has been in the written and spoken words of friends and family who reminded me this journey wasn’t a solo one. These may seem insignificant to you, but in the moment of despair these meant the world to me.
I often wish and pray for a miraculous supernatural turnaround in health while my daughter is in the hospital. Her recovery usually takes days or weeks instead of an instant change. Yet my daughter’s survival is a testament, nevertheless. He has proven to me that He does work in ways I don't understand or see at the time.
God was orchestrating things to come together on the date of October 19. In 2013, this was the day our daughter came home from the hospital after a 4-week stay, which she wasn’t expected to survive. In 2014, it was the day that she was baptized at our church. I didn’t pick the day for the baptism. It just happened to work out that way. Was that a coincidence or God?
One day, I hung up a picture from her baptism on my daughter's bedroom wall. I took a moment to look at her ultrasound picture that hung in her room too. God directed me to look at the date of the ultrasound and found it was October 19, 2005. The moment I figured the alignment of these three events happening on October 19th was my Red Sea moment. Even in chaotic times, God was working behind the scenes waiting for me to connect the dots and see the bigger picture.
In challenging times, it can feel like God is far removed. I encourage you to lift your eyes and be open to see God. It may not be in ways you expect or request. Your prayers may feel unanswered, but I assure you that God is there. He is waiting to reveal Himself to you. Can you be willing to recognize it?
Evana is a wife and mother of two children. Since becoming a parent, Evana has spent many hours driving to specialty appointments, praying beside a hospital bed, and learning about her children’s diagnoses. Evana is also a pediatric speech-language pathologist and serves children with autism, feeding disorders, and other developmental delays. You can connect with Evana on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog, A Special Purposed Life. You can also read more about her family’s story in her book, Badges of Motherhood: One Mother’s Story about Family, Down syndrome, Hospitals, and Faith.
