It is amusing to see incidents in the Bible when God’s people ask for a miracle, the Lord does a miraculous thing, and the people are shocked and surprised. It is amusing, that is, until I see it in my life and the life of other Christ-followers. Examples?

I mentioned a few weeks ago about that miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand men…plus women and children. When the disciples encouraged Jesus to send the people home because they had no food for them and no way to get any, Jesus simply looked at his dedicated followers and said, “You feed them.” Surprise!

Later, when the disciples had pushed off from shore while Jesus stayed to pray, the storm hit, and it hit hard. Looking around, these men saw a form walking on the water. Jesus. And Peter, being Peter, blurted out a request.

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. Matthew 14:28,29 NLT

You remember what happened next. Peter jumped over the side of the boat…and he walked on water…until. Until he looked around at his circumstances…the winds and the big waves…and he began to sink. Peter had apparently never sung the old song, “He who began a good work in you….” And Jesus, in His love and with His gentle admonition, grabbed Peter and exclaimed, “You have so little faith. Why did you doubt me?”

I’ve prayed for friends and family members for years and have seen the Lord do His miraculous thing in their lives. Yes, some are still a work in progress…but aren’t we all? There are times Jesus has had to say in my heart, “You have so little faith. Why did you doubt me?”

There have been other times when I have brought problems to the Lord looking for Him to do something great before my eyes, and He has responded like He did to His disciples, “You feed them.” As I imagine those men who surrounded Jesus did, I sometimes just stand before the Lord and stare. “What? I just told you the impossible situation we are in. Don’t you get it, God?”

Oh, He gets it. And He understands you and me. The Lord knows we need to take steps of faith…in our ministries, in our lives, with our families. If Christ is leading us, then we need to just step out of the boat…or begin to gather little fish and loaves of bread.

As you read God’s Word, as you pray, as you lead your ministry this week, listen for the Lord’s voice in your heart.

“You feed them.”

“Yes, come.”

And don’t be surprised when the impossible becomes not only possible but amazingly victorious.