“Joy is not getting what you want. It’s fully appreciating what you have.”- Mark Batterson
In Chapter 5 (“Six Stone Jars”) of The Grave Robber, Mark Batterson begins with the observation that water is the most basic chemical compound on earth. Yet it also is the most vital. But when is the last time we thought to thank God for water?
Pastor Batterson tells of the time he was on a trail in the Grand Canyon, about two miles from Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor. His group ran out of water. The temperature was 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade! When Mark finally reached a water supply, he savored every sip of the tasteless liquid. For the first time in his life, he saw water as a miracle from God.
Mark states we don’t appreciate God’s day-to-day miracles because “God is so good at what He does we take it for granted! What God does best . . . we often appreciate least.” If we recognized these miracles, we’d live in constant wonderment and crack the joy code.
As we pray to God for a miracle, He hears our heart more than the words we choose. Faith, not vocabulary, elicits His response. Verbosity is not an indicator of trust. In fact, Mark states, the more trust we have the fewer words we need:
“You don’t need to know what to say. You just need to know where to turn.”
If we seek God first, before we need a miracle, He won’t be our last resort.
Today’s question: How would recognizing God’s day-to-day miracles during your desert, land between journey help you break the joy code? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Miracle within a miracle”
