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Miracles from Heaven and Finding God in Our Grief

  • Updated May 27, 2016
<i>Miracles from Heaven</i> and Finding God in Our Grief

Last month, I watched Miracles from Heaven, a movie about a young girl who is miraculously healed from a fatal condition.

As one would expect, the miracle is that the girl is healed. However, at the end of the movie, it becomes apparent that the family experienced multiple miracles: the waitress who befriended them, the receptionist who risked her job to help the distraught mother, the ways God provided for them every step of the journey.

Isn’t that the way God is? If we can simply open our eyes, He is at work all around us. In our hurt. In our pain. In our grief. He is with us, working circumstances for our good. There are miracles happening every single day.

My kids and I are going through some difficult circumstances right now. We are questioning God, questioning everything about life. We are struggling to understand why things happen, why God takes some people way too soon. We sometimes struggle to see God’s hand at work around us, working in the grief and pain to make good out of all things.

And yet, I know all too well that God is right here with us, right in the midst of the most painful circumstances of my kids’ lives. I have seen His hand of protection over us. I’ve seen His hand of provision in our circumstances. I’ve seen His comfort and encouragement in the words of the hundreds of believers who have reached out with prayers and kind words. I can truly see miracles—many in the form of His people becoming the hands and feet of Christ to us.

Even though I see Him at work, I am certain there are many miracles I am missing. I sometimes find myself struggling to see clearly in the midst of the grief and the pain. I don’t want to miss God, so I find myself asking, “What does it take to see God in the midst of my pain?”

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. - Matthew 5:8

Seeing God starts with the heart. Is my heart truly pure? Am I harboring anger or bitterness? Is there some sin that is limiting my connection with God?

God honors a pure heart, a heart that longs for holiness and purity. A heart that desires to do God’s will no matter what the cost. A heart that loves God and loves others. A heart fully committed to the Father.

The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. - Psalm 69:32

Pride is a sin that blinds us. We are blind to its impact on our lives. It blinds us to the sin hidden within our heart. And it blinds us to God’s work around us.

If we want to see God, we must allow Him to do surgery on our hearts, allow Him to show us the pride we are clinging to. Perhaps it is pride in our abilities. Or our money. Or our holiness. Or our interpretation of scripture. Pride could be lurking anywhere, showing itself in subtle ways. Only God can reveal the true condition of our heart and show us areas where we have been blinded by pride.

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. - Jeremiah 29:13

Throughout scripture, we find the importance of giving God our everything. He’s not satisfied with just a portion of our hearts or our lives; He wants all of us.

It’s no different with looking for God. It has to be a wholehearted endeavor. We must be fully committed to looking for Him, as if it is the absolute most important thing in our lives. We must desire Him above all else this world has to offer.

As Paul said in Philippian 3:8, we must count everything else as worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. He, and only He, must matter in our lives.

I don’t know what you are facing today. Perhaps, like us, you are facing an unexpected death, consumed by grief, by hopes and dreams dashed in this life. Perhaps you have a loved one whose health is failing, barely clinging to this life. Maybe you are watching your marriage fall apart, wondering where God is, why He hasn’t answered your prayers. Or maybe someone you love is walking down the wrong path of life, wandering as far from God as one can possibly go.

What I do know is that God is still in the business of doing miracles. He is near you, even as you struggle to keep moving forward in this life. He is working, even as you struggle to see Him. He has plans to bring this heartache full circle, to make something good come from it.

You can trust Him. You can find His miracles all around you. Simply let Him have every part of your heart. Search for Him as the treasure He is. You will find Him.

Dena Johnson is a busy single mom of three kids who loves God passionately. She delights in taking the everyday events of life, finding God in them, and impressing them on her children as they sit at home or walk along the way (Deuteronomy 6:7). Her greatest desire is to be a channel of God’s comfort and encouragement. You can read more of Dena’s experiences with her Great I AM on her blog Dena's Devos.

*Published 5/25/2016