Little By Little

Throughout life, we each encounter situations that need a miracle. For me, some of those needs have been GREAT—others important, but perhaps a little less earth-shattering.

A miracle is defined as an extraordinary event that surpasses known human or natural abilities and is attributed to a supernatural cause; a work of God; a wonder.

As Americans, we can be a little demanding—and maybe even a little spoiled. We don’t just want our miracle—we want it NOW! After all, we want to give God the glory, right?

Or... do we simply want God to answer our way, on our timetable?

A few weeks ago, I was looking through my bookshelf when I came across an old devotional that had blessed my life exactly ten years ago. I picked it up, flipped through the pages, and began reading some of the notes.

I thought, It might be good—and interesting—to go through this devotional again. A lot of life has happened in the past ten years.

We have experienced milestones more wonderful than we could have imagined—and we have walked through places deeper and darker than we ever expected to go.

Then today's devotion caught me a little by surprise. Its title was “A Wandering Mind.” Nothing particularly earth-shattering about that. But then I noticed something I had written in the center of the page:

And suddenly I remembered. At that point in our lives, the need was REAL. We were getting ready to jump off one of life's tall diving boards. We were breaking ground on our new church building on Loop 1604 in San Antonio.

You see, we had been comfortable in our relatively new building on Higgins Road.

Happy.
A full church building.
Low debt.
Low operating expenses.

Comfortable.

But God opened a new door—and walking through that door was going to require what seemed to us like a miracle.

I would love to tell you the story of how God miraculously provided one million dollars. I can't. It didn't happen. At least, not the way I had imagined it would. There wasn't one enormous check. There wasn't one dramatic moment when suddenly the entire need disappeared.

But I can tell you about something every bit as miraculous.

The faithfulness of God. Little by Little.

For ten years, He has provided.

One payment at a time.

One offering at a time.

One faithful giver at a time.

One month at a time.

Little by little.

And looking back now, I realize God has provided that miracle over and over again—little by little. It just didn’t arrive all at once.

That reminds me of something God told Israel:

Isn't that interesting? God could have driven Israel's enemies out instantly. He had the power to do it. But He specifically told them He wasn't going to.

He was going to do it little by little.

And maybe that is something we need to remember when we're waiting for our own miracle.

Sometimes we are looking so intently for the BIG answer that we fail to recognize all the little answers God is giving us along the way.

The bill that got paid.

The strength for another day.

The door that opened.

The medical provision that led to healing.

The person God sent.

The provision that came right when it was needed.

The grace that carried us through one more difficult season.

Many times, looking back, I realize that prayer that isn’t completely answered isn’t unanswered prayer, it’s just a work in progress.

My friend, what miracle do you need today?

Maybe you've been praying about it for weeks.

Maybe months.

Maybe, like the note in my devotional, you've been praying about it for ten years.

Can I encourage you?

God may already be working on your behalf!

Sometimes—perhaps most times—our miracles don't come instantaneously.

They come moment by moment.

Provision by provision.

Step by step.

Little by little.

And that makes them no less of a miracle from God.

So today, instead of only asking God for the finished miracle, take a moment to look back with a thankful and encouraged heart.

Where has He already provided?

Where has He already carried you?

What has changed that you once thought never would?

And then thank Him.

Not only for the miracle you're still waiting to see... but for the little-by-little miracle that is already happening.