Your Miracle Is In Your Mouth Read Free Page B

God’s rod of judgment fell on Jesus at the cross, it was His blood that flowed for us. We deserved the judgment. And we deserved the punishment. But Jesus took our place so that we can receive the blessings. Isn’t that beautiful? That is the love of our Father!
    Trust In The Finished Work
    The smiting of the rock in Exodus 17 is a beautiful picture of the cross. It points us to the perfect work of the Son. Today, you and I are blessed because of the cross, not because we did something good to deserve God’s blessings. It is not our works, but Jesus’ perfect work on the cross that brings every blessing.
    It’s important to note that our trust must be in the finished work of Christ, not in our obedience or good works. Neither should our trust be in the environment we are in. What do I mean by this? Well, some people think that if only they were in a better school, a bigger company or a prospering country, they would be blessed. In the meantime, they murmur and complain. Sometimes, God will lead us to a place in which initially there seems to be no provision.
    If you read the story in Exodus carefully, you will find that it was the Lord who told Moses to bring the children of Israel to Rephidim. And yet, even though they were still in the will of God, there was no water for them there. Did the Lord know that there was no water at Rephidim? Of course He did! But He wanted His people to trust Him and call upon Him. After all, He had cared for them and brought them this far. He had made the bitter waters of Marah sweet for them. He had rained bread from heaven and given them quail meat to eat. And before all that, He had led them out of Egypt with great signs and wonders.
    But, like so many of us, the children of Israel were slow to learn to trust in God completely. Instead of trusting in the goodness of the Lord, they continued to complain. Do you know that it’s not good to complain? Here is a great saying: “Complain and you will remain plain, praise and He will give you a raise!”
    Don’t Complain —Trust God In Every Situation
    Don’t have a complaining attitude. Even if you don’t understand why you are in your current circumstance and you can’t see a way out of it, trust the Lord to supply the waters you need because He has been smitten for your blessings. Look to the cross and rest in the finished work of Christ.
    The Bible also tells us that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” . (Romans 8:28) So don’t grumble if you have a flat tyre. Don’t grumble if you are stuck in a traffic jam. God may be delaying you because He sees a fatal accident or disaster up ahead!
    A sister in our church named Barbara loves to scuba dive. She usually scuba dives in Phuket between the months of December and January. She has done that at least four times now. In December 2004, she and a colleague were planning another liveaboard scuba diving trip to the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea northwest of Phuket. She planned to be there between 22 and 27 December. However, she didn’t feel perfectly at peace during the preparations. Her plan was eventually abandoned because her colleague’s leave application was not approved.
    Today, she believes that God intervened for their good. He spared them a lot of trouble indeed. You see, had they gone ahead with their dive trip, they would have been sailing from the Similan Islands back to Patong Beach on Phuket island in Thailand on the morning of 26 December 2004 when the Asian tsunami struck! God was so good that He kept them out of harm’s way and out of the country altogether!
    So don’t grumble when nothing seems to be going right. Your disappointment may turn out to be a testimony of God’s deliverance and goodness! Instead, while you are waiting for the manifestation of your blessing, bring out the timbrel, bring out the electric guitar and begin to sing a song to God. Try singing the song,