Come Expecting

"Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" "Consider Abraham; He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham." Galatians 3:5-7

Recently we were asked in church if we believe God still does great miracles today like they saw in the early church. Everyone said yes, but the next question was then why don't we see them? As I sat there and thought about that question the one thought that came to mind was because we don't expect to. Why do we come to church every Sunday morning? Do we come to meet with God, to praise Him, to glorify Him, to expect Him to show up and do something great in us? Do we expect to learn something to carry with us throughout our week and apply to our lives, do we expect the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow on us and empower us for the work we will be asked to do for Him? If we aren't even expecting these things when we come to church then how do we expect to see great miracles? Do we think as Paul said that the Lord gives us His Spirit and works miracles among us because we observe the law, because we simply come to church and try to do all the right things, or is it because we believe and expect the Lord to do what He has promised to do? Jesus said in John 14:11-14 "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask for anything in my name, and I will do it." Do we come to church with a simple desire to see God glorified?

When Jesus returned to the Father He promised to send His Spirit. The disciples were simply told to wait in the upper rooms for the Spirit to show up. I am sure they had no idea what to expect or what was going to happen but they were obedient. They did as Jesus said they entered the upper rooms and they waited and prayed and believed and expected Jesus to do what He promised. They were all in one mind and open to whatever the Lord had for them and the Lord poured out on each one of them individually, and the church was formed. The great miracles of the early church happened because the believers just desired to glorify God and not themselves. They didn't need to see miracles in order to believe, they knew what the Lord had done for them and they were commissioned to get the word out so that others could also experience the life changing power of God and be saved. That is when the miracles happened.

Imagine what would happen in the church today if we just came in the doors expecting and open to whatever the Lord would have for us, believing Him to do what He promised and with a simple desire to see Him glorified. Imagine the miracles we would see then. We just have no idea all the things God has for us and all that He wants to do in and through us. I can hardly fathom it myself and honestly I don't always come expecting, but that is when God asks me then why did you come at all? Do you want to see miracles? Do you want God to be glorified? When we come to church again let's come expecting and see all the marvelous things that God will do.

Kim Ratcliffe