What will our lives be like after we’ve received our miracle?

When waiting for a miracle, there are probably times when most of us daydream about how life will be when we finally see the answer to our prayers. We may even begin to smile and get excited at the thought of our impossibility becoming reality. I wonder, however, how many of us actually stop to think about who we will be after the initial awe and excitement of receiving our miracle has had time to sink in.

I think we’re sometimes under the impression that once we’ve received what we’ve been believing, everything will be smooth sailing from there. Perhaps we picture ourselves becoming faith giants who never doubt, always getting our prayers answered quickly (we will have experienced God’s power, after all).

Seeing miracles may boost our faith, and we should always expect immediate answers to prayer. To believe that we will somehow be beyond having our faith tested is naive and unscriptural. Life will always be full of setbacks and difficulties. Even the time of excitement and relief that we experience after having received our miracle can present us with its own set of problems and temptations. The question is will we choose to remain steadfast in our faith or will we let our guard down — or even forget God — after we’ve received for what we’ve been praying.

When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, God worked miracle after miracle on their behalf. He parted the Red Sea, daily gave them food from heaven, brought water out of the rocks, etc … However, no matter how many times He answered their prayers, their confidence in Him never increased. They only cried out to Him when they were in a crisis.

Unfortunately, many people live like that even today. When they have a problem, they really get serious about living for God, but when He works everything out for them, His faithfulness and love are soon forgotten — drowned out by the cares of this life.

In contrast, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all speak of a woman named Mary Magdalene. At some point in Jesus’ ministry, she was freed from seven demons, but unlike the rebellious children of Israel in Moses’ day, she didn’t just forget it and move on. She chose to follow Him, and even helped provide for Him in His ministry (Luke 8:2). In fact, she followed Him all the way to the cross and the tomb, and she was the first person to get to see Him when He rose from the dead.

Mary’s life after her miracle was not trouble-free. She was still a woman in a time when women were considered nothing more than property, and she identified with Jesus — and that meant automatic persecution. Not only that, but she saw the very man who had freed her get crucified. That would be enough to make most people pack up and go home. Through it all, however, she chose to remain focused and strong in faith — long after the event of her miraculous encounter with Jesus had taken place.

Who will you be after God answers your prayers? Will you be like the children of Israel who forgot God as soon as the newness of their miracle wore off, or will you be more like Mary Magdalene, who continued to follow Jesus faithfully, even when it looked like all was lost at the cross?

Receiving a miracle is a wonderful thing, but it means very little if the person who received it gets distracted by life, and loses his/her love for the Miracle Worker.

We can decide right now who we want to be and begin taking steps in that direction. We don’t have to wait until we receive our big miracle to practice gratitude for who God is and what He has already done in our lives. Let’s make it a habit today so that we can maintain a life of gratitude long after our miracle has taken place.

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Milligan is a Poteau resident who went on a mission trip to Guatemala just before Labor Day.