“The God of Miracles” – a reflection on Gen 18:1-15 and Rom 5:1-8 by Michelle

Have you ever wondered if God has a sense of humour? Our Old Testament reading today shows me that he does. It tells the story of the Lord appearing to Abraham as 3 men and promising that Sarah would have a child in a year’s time. This passage always makes me laugh. Firstly, the description of Abraham getting Sarah and the servants to “quickly” bake some bread and “hurriedly” slaughter and prepare a calf for a meal makes me wonder just how many hours they rested under that tree waiting to be waited on!

Then there is the statement that actually makes Sarah laugh. One of the men tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son around the same time next year. Why did Sarah laugh? Because she was nearly 90yrs old and Abraham was nearly 100. A child wasn’t just improbable or unlikely, it was impossible! The idea of a 90yr old woman having a baby was laughable. Just a short time earlier, in Gen 17:17, Abraham had also laughed when God told him he and Sarah would have a child. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the impossibility of what God was saying, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t have faith that he would somehow make this miracle happen.

Our Romans reading today tells us that we are justified through faith, and Paul supports this with reference to Abraham’s continued faith in God’s promise of a child being credited to him as righteousness. Do you have faith in God’s promises to you? Do you believe he can work miracles in your life? When my extremely aggressive cancer wasn’t responding to treatment as hoped, my specialist prepared me for a very high risk and life changing surgery. However, at the last moment, the cancer changed in such a way that medical science can not explain. He told me “these cancers do not behave this way”. Just like Sarah, I laugh when I think about this, because God’s miracle now has me 18mths cancer free.

Luke 18:27 tells us what is impossible for man is made possible with God. I heard a quote once “Impossible is where God starts. Miracles is what God does.” It is when things are impossible that we see God’s actions because there is no other explanation. When Gideon gathered an army of 32000 men to fight the 120000+ strong Midianite army, God reduced his numbers to just 300 so the Israelites would know, without a doubt, that they had been saved by God.

When something in your life seems impossible, don’t lose hope. Have faith in our loving God who knows what we need even before we ask (Matt 6:8). Believe in the God of miracles.

This song from Way Maker by Leeland says it all!