The house is almost done.
Which means we’re in a phase where setbacks don’t have workarounds, no alternate tasks to complete while a contractor “get’s back to us.” One delay can create 3 more. There’s a $$ price for everyday it takes to complete the list of requirements
Every inspection matters.
Every delivery matters.
Every contractor needs to finish.
Two weeks ago Hayley and I decided to start praying specifically for miracles. Well…
⚡️ F5 Fast Files - Short Summary
What counts as a miracle?
Small things become significant when the timing is right.
“By their fruits ye shall know them.”
What you practice determines what you notice.
📜 What’s a Commandment?
If God directed you to a path, wouldn’t it follow that He would help you walk it?
Not remove every obstacle.
Not eliminate every setback.
But prepare a way.
That’s exactly what Nephi believed when he said:
“I will go and do the thing which the Lord hath commanded…”
I’ve read that verse a hundred times, but had a different question this time: What counts as a ‘commandment’?
Most of the time that word is associated with ‘The 10 Commandments’ given to Moses, or the great commandments as taught by Jesus to love God and love thy neighbor.
But I think ‘commandments’ means more than that in this context, such as personal promptings, directions, answers to prayer, or assignments.
Do I believe God wanted me to build a house? Or at least was in support of my decision to do so? Then yes, I can expect miracles.
🪄 Miracle by Law
What is a miracle anyway? The Bible Dictionary says:
“Miracles should not be regarded as deviations from the ordinary course of nature so much as manifestations of divine or spiritual power.”
In other words, miracles aren’t necessarily God breaking the rules.
Sometimes they’re God helping us through them.
In a recent Fire Team conversation as we talked about miracles, 2 common threads appeared:
1. Miracles are easier to identify after the fact.
2. We tend to think miracles need to be huge.
What if we could recognize a miracle in real time, rather than just when we’re reflecting on the past?
What if miracles weren’t just big occurrences, but included seemingly small surprises
Here’s my running list from the last couple weeks (not quite real time, but I’m working on it ;)
- found the lost spare key
- the truck issue did not need repair, just a changed setting.
- several deliveries came early
- got a gift card for dinner when we were too strung out to make it.
- one contractor stayed till 11:30 at night finishing his part rather than rescheduling.
- inspections passed first try
- an old friend moved into the neighborhood
- other friends came for late nights to get me ready for finals
- This week I’ve gone to bed on time.
Taken individually these aren’t super significant, but collectively and in context each of these has been meaningful and timely.
🏁 Finals.
A few hours from now we’ll be doing final inspections.
The last major step before this house becomes our home.
Looking back, I can’t point to one giant miracle that made it happen.
Instead I see dozens of small ones.
A contractor staying late.
A key being found.
A surprise bonus.
A timely delivery.
A friend showing up.
Individually they seem ordinary.
Together they feel sacred.
Maybe that’s how most miracles work.
🔥 Choose What to Practice
Ultimately, faith is a choice.
A cynic could explain away every item on my list.
The key was eventually found.
The contractor simply chose to stay late.
The delivery company happened to arrive early.
The bonus at work was already in the system, you just forgot.
Fair enough.
But the Bible Dictionary teaches that miracles are not necessarily violations of natural law. Rather, “some lower law was in each case superseded by the action of a higher.”
Maybe the miracle isn’t that God suspended the laws of nature.
Maybe the miracle is that He quietly arranged circumstances, inspired people, softened hearts, and prepared a way forward.
There is enough evidence in life to support either belief.
You can view life as random coincidence.
Or you can choose to look for the hand of God.
Personally, I’ve found the second option far more rewarding.
Jesus taught: “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
And I’ve found that the more intentionally I look for miracles, the more of them I seem to find.
✍️ Make your list
What have you seen this week that was meaningful, timely, unexpected, or prayed for?
Write it down.
Not because God needs the credit.
Because you need the reminder.
Gratitude strengthens faith.
And faith helps us recognize the hand of God when it appears.
Looking back, I think that’s been the real miracle all along.
Maybe the greatest miracle isn’t the event itself.
Maybe it’s becoming the kind of person who notices it.
Justin
F5 Brotherhood
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