A certain man had two sons; And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.” And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he came to himself, he said…I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.”
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
(Luke 15:11-13,17-18,20)
God performs miracles in two different ways:
(1) by sovereignly initiating a miracle at His own will
(2) in response to our faith, initiating a miracle at our will.
For the next few days, we’ll see this principle clearly illustrated in Jesus’ story of the prodigal son.
This is the account of the younger of two sons, who left his father’s house to indulge in sin and wrongdoing, wasting his entire inheritance. Later he came to himself and realized the pleasures of sin weren’t worth the price he was paying.
He decided he’d be better off back in his father’s house, even if only as a servant. But when this prodigal son returned home, he found his father waiting for him with open arms of love. And the father didn’t stop there. He sovereignly went out of his way to do things for him to prove that he loved him (vv. 22-24).
This is really a picture of our loving heavenly Father. Certainly He is always ready to welcome the person who has never known Him. But He also desires to welcome back into fellowship His repentant children who at one time walked away from Him. And often He will sovereignly perform miracles in their lives to show them just how much He loves them.
My Father’s compassion toward me moves Him to work on my behalf.
I’m so grateful for those times when He works miracles in my life.
But I know I can always depend on my Father to perform
His Word in me as I walk by faith, because He loves me.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.