There was a time when a friend of mine became exceedingly fussy upon leaving her memory card chip at the internet café where we were used to print our academic papers. She was able to reckon two days had passed of its being left there. The furrow in her brows shows how worried and gloomy she was. She even planned to ask the internet café attendant whether they have seen it or not, yet expect its entire loss—apparently forsaking the reputed fortune. These doubts worried and intimidated her, growing hopeless or hopeful from time to time, but never left her. She hoped and thought, and the more she hoped and the more she thought, the more she dropped from the scheme she was running after.
As a friend, I prayed for her first, encouraged her to try her pre-arranged schemes and console her with words of hope that everything will be all right. I told her to see chances of its turning out kept by the attendant, even when it is impossible to reclaim it. At that time, all I see and heard was God in the intimacy of my prayer.
We separated ways. They ate lunch and I went to attend the Holy Mass. I prayed for her intentions. When I came back, I saw wonderful smiles and a gleam of joy in my classmates’ faces—and they told me the attendant kept it, and they became immensely grateful and happy because it is very unlikely for them to be responsible of their costumer’s belongings yet managed to keep the memory card chip in good condition. At that moment once again, I have been an eyewitness to so many of God’s miracles.
I remember when I was still a kid. I always looked out for miracles, questioned and protested that I did never saw a miracle which would assure me. A corporeal miracle would have convinced me. And as I grew with the age of reason, here is a miracle, the only miracle possible, incessantly taking place, encircling me on all walks of life, and I never perceived it.
From then on, I began to see God’s miracles every day, though not in grandiose manner as depicted in the miracles done in the epoch of Jesus. Belonging to a family with only two members who work to feed eleven mouths thrice daily, five children who go to school, and so many bills to pay, sustaining this kind of life is impossible without the grace of God. We always cling unto Him, maintaining the aerial of supernatural life to take place in our lives. If not with this relationship to our Father, to wake up safe and sound every morning, to eat thrice every day, to study in school and to live in a peaceful home are all out of the question. Our prayers led us to good works and sustain life amidst the poverty.
The words faith, hope and love of God opens our mind, heart and soul to allow Jesus take part and give us diving solution to our problems. Believe me; miracles do take place every day. It not hard to thank and appreciate God’s wondrous works when one’s vision is centered on His greatness and goodness. But I did not mean to say that when we wish for something, it will turn out instantaneously. From personal experience, I could conclude that for a miracle to happen, it is not enough to pray, one should also see the possibilities in the impossible, take action and have the spirit of perseverance of its turning out well.
The first moment we pray, God already knows what we are asking. So when we raise our heart and mind to Him who is Supreme Being, we become faithful of its effect. But we do not automatically get everything we ask because we also need to take action. Prayer ought to lead us to do good works. We must reveal our faith through action. As described in the epistle of James “As the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead” (James 2:26).
When God does not give what we ask despite our constant effort and self-surrender, it simply means that He will redirect our way to something better. My spiritual director once shared to me a post she saw in her Google+ newsfeed, “God’s no is not a rejection, it’s a redirection”. All we need is to purify our hearts from its capricious affections and tempting earthly attachments to see His will clearly.
In truth, in His way, not living for our own desires—only then we shall witness miracle in our lives.
Satisfaction, Here I Come 