When we pray for a miracle, it's natural to focus on what we want God to do.

We ask Him to open the door. Heal the relationship. Provide the job. Restore our health. Change the situation.

Those are good prayers. God invites us to bring every need to Him. But there's another question we don't ask often enough.

“Have I played my part?”

Sometimes we're so focused on waiting for God to move that we forget He also needs us to take a step. Not because our effort earns His blessing, but because God often invites us to participate in what He is about to do.

One of my favourite miracles is when Jesus turned water into wine.

Imagine being one of the servants that day. Jesus tells you to fill six large stone jars with water. Not one. Six.

We don't know how far the servants had to walk to fetch the water. We don't know how many trips they made or how long it took. We just know they obeyed. Then Jesus said something that must have sounded even stranger.

"Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

Imagine carrying that cup. As far as you knew, it was still water because that was what you poured in. The miracle hadn't become visible yet. But they obeyed anyway. Sometimes that is what faith is. Taking the next step before you can see what God is about to do.

The same pattern appears throughout Scripture. When Jesus fed the five thousand, He didn't create bread out of thin air. A little boy first placed his lunch into Jesus' hands. Five loaves. Two fish. It wasn't enough to feed a crowd. But it was enough for Jesus to multiply. The boy couldn't perform the miracle. But he could surrender what he had.

How often do we underestimate the ordinary things God has already placed in our hands?

The CV that's still sitting on your laptop because you're waiting until it's "good enough."
The conversation you've been rehearsing in your head for weeks but still haven't had.
The skill you've been meaning to learn but keep telling yourself you'll start next month.
The talent you've buried because it didn't seem impressive enough.
The small act of generosity you've talked yourself out of because it’s “too small.”
The business you've spent years talking about but never actually begun.
The habit you've wanted to build but keep waiting for motivation to come.
The first workout you've promised yourself starts "next Saturday."

We keep asking God for the miracle while ignoring the seemingly small things He's already placed in front of us.

The woman who had suffered from constant bleeding for twelve years didn't know what would happen if she met Jesus. She simply believed that if she could just reach Him, her story would change.

Pushing through that crowd couldn't have been easy. After twelve years of bleeding, she would have been physically exhausted, in pain, afraid, ashamed and surrounded by stronger men and women who may well have tried to push her away or keep her down. Yet she refused to let the crowd become an excuse to stop her from reaching Jesus.

The same was true of Peter. Jesus didn't calm Peter's fears before calling him out of the boat. He simply said, "Come." Peter experienced the miracle after he stepped out, not while he stayed inside the boat.

Again and again, Scripture shows us the same pattern. And as James put it, "Faith without works is dead."

Perhaps you've been praying for a new job. Have you stopped applying because the last few rejections discouraged you?

Perhaps you've been asking God to restore your marriage. Have you been willing to put in the work, apologise where you've been wrong, or seek wise counsel together?

Perhaps you've been praying to grow closer to God. Have you made room to spend time with Him, or are you hoping your relationship with Him will somehow grow on its own?

None of these things guarantee a miracle. But they may be the very steps we first have to take while trusting God with the outcome. Because faith isn't about sitting still while hoping something changes. Faith means we keep walking, even when we can't yet see where the road leads.

Ask God what your next step is. Instead of only praying for the outcome, ask, "Lord, what are You asking me to do today?" You may not receive the whole plan immediately, but God is often faithful to show us the next step.

Don't despise small beginnings. Big changes often begin with ordinary acts of obedience. One application. One phone call. One conversation. One prayer. Don't underestimate what God can do with one faithful step.

Do what you can and trust God with what you can't. There are things only God can do. There are also things He's asked us to do. We can't: heal ourselves, save ourselves, multiply bread, turn water into wine. Only God can do that. But we can: fill the jars, bring the bread and fish, step into the river, reach through the crowd, step out of the boat.

Start with what's already in your hands. We often think we need more time, more money, more confidence, or more experience before God can use us. But throughout Scripture, God repeatedly worked with what people already had. A packed lunch. Empty jars. A willing servant. Don't underestimate what God can do with what you have in your hands.

It's easy to pray, "Lord, open a door." It's harder to knock on it. It's easy to pray, "Lord, provide." It's harder to put the application together. It's easy to pray, "Lord, use me." It's harder to say yes when the opportunity comes.

Imagine if the servants had never filled the jars because it seemed like too much work. Imagine if the little boy had looked at the crowd and thought, "My lunch won't make any difference." . What if Peter had stayed in the boat because the waves looked too dangerous. Or if the woman had turned back because the crowd looked impossible to get through.

Every one of them would have had a reason that sounded perfectly reasonable. But they would never have experienced what God was ready to do if they had never taken that first step. Perhaps the step you've been putting off is the very one that comes before the miracle you've been praying for.

Don't let a reasonable excuse keep you from experiencing what an extraordinary God can do.

✝ Kingdom Mantra

Did today's teaching bring to mind an area where fear or hesitation has been holding you back? Hit reply to this email or drop a comment below if you are reading this on our website. I would love to hear from you and pray with you. God bless you and do have a great weekend. ❤️