Then the man reached out his hand and took it.

 

Monday, October 23, 2023


Psalms 124; 125; 126

2 Kings 5:15-6:7

Matthew 15:1-20


Observance: James of Jerusalem, brother of our Lord, martyr (d. c. 62)


Then the man reached out his hand and took it.


God is the master of big miracles. He heals the terminally ill and blesses them with years of fruitful living. He turns away the weapons of war, stopping horrors when they seemed inevitable.


God took on human flesh, joining that which is God to that which is human, lived the perfect life, gave Himself up as a sacrifice so that our sins would be wiped away, and rose from the dead on the third day. Big miracles lie very firmly in God’s department.


But God also works small miracles; an infinite unseen amount all through the day, blessing each and every one of His children, guiding us through our lives. There is no reason to look at a situation and think that it is too small for God to worry about.


Elisha’s student had gone out to do some construction work. As a theological student in Elisha’s seminary, he had very little in the way of earthly possessions to call his own, and so had to borrow the tools just to build his own home. A bird squawks at just the wrong moment, or someone calls out, or maybe he starts daydreaming about what he will have for lunch: whatever happened, he looks up when he should be looking down, and drops his borrowed axhead in the river.


We’ve all dropped things; a pen, a comb, some coins, a tool: normally, one would exclaim a curse. Guard our mouths, O Lord! But this student of Elisha’s goes straight to his master and explains what was wrong, and Elisha, the man of God, asks God for a miracle. And of course, God grants this little miracle.


Our day ahead is full of seemingly little decisions and mishaps that will require God’s help. We may not be negotiating peace between Israel and Palestine or writing legislation that will affect an entire nation, but God doesn’t care how big or small we might think a miracle needs to be. God knows even when a sparrow falls out of the sky, and we are worth more than many sparrows!

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