What constitutes a miracle? How phenomenal must an occurrence be? Being healed from a terminal disease … Coming back from death … Walking on water … Winning the lottery, 3 times! I'd say these are all miracles. I'd say that if you were to pray for any of them, and they came true, it would be considered a miraculous act of God. What if I said that any and all answered prayers are miracles, regardless of the level of significance that our minds try to measure them by? What if the act of praying alone is a miracle, regardless of the outcome?
This image is a photo taken by The Voyager 1 spacecraft 3.7 billion miles away from Earth. It's called the Pale Blue Dot. It consists of the Universe, space, sunbeams, Earth, and us … you and me. You and I are the pale blue dot that the arrow is pointing to. Actually, the dot is Earth, and you and I are even smaller and less significant than that.
Yesterday at church our pastor was speaking on the privilege of prayer and how God (the creator of everything in that picture) chooses to listen to us when we pray. In the past 12+ hours, I have not been able to get this image out of my head. I've always known that God didn't need me, just like I've always known that I am nothing without Him; but, when I'm able to get the slightest glimpse of how insignificant I am from God's perspective, I am humbled beyond words.
One thing that Pastor David highlighted was the fact that God has thousands of perfect angels around him at all times, worshipping him, praising him, telling him how great he is, and proclaiming 'HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY'! However, as soon as I open my mouth to pray, His ears perk up and His attention gravitates towards me immediately! I have constant access to the Maker of the Universe … but for what???! For me to pray some selfish prayer, to request a miracle that only I will benefit from, and to not even acknowledge how miraculous it is that He is even listening.
Think about the world that we live in. How many of you would be able to get a one-on-one meeting with the President of the US right now? Ok, let's forget the President … what about your governor, mayor, company CEO, manager, dean of your college, or anyone of power and influence? It's not easy, and it definitely isn't instant! Not only that, but you also aren't guaranteed that you won't be interrupted or rescheduled. So the fact that we, mere pale blue dots, are able to go above the head of the President and immediately get the attention AND favor of God whenever we want … THAT'S A MIRACLE!! That's what prayer is. Prayer is a privilege, but more than that, it's a miracle that we get to experience as often as we want to. It's also the kind of thing that we should be talking about when we share the Good News with others. "I had the chance to talk to God today! One on one. He gave me his undivided attention, and told me that I can have that experience with him whenever I want! No appointment necessary … What a miracle!"
What would the world look like, if ALL of your prayers were answered today? Would you be living a good life, with a nice house, nice cars, nice clothes, etc? Would your family members be the only people healed and/or saved? Would the world be a better place … or would YOUR world be a better place? Last night's message, coupled with that photo, really rocked my world and my view on prayer. God will answer my prayers, and I've always been confident in that, but now I am much more cognizant of what my prayers consist of. God deserves honor in everything that I do. I will honor Him by acknowledging that regardless of whether or not He answers my prayers, it is miraculous enough that He is even listening … And I will honor Him by praying prayers that result in His glory. After all, isn't that what our life should be all about anyway?
