“Many of us doubt God instead of praising God for a partial miracle. We give up because we didn’t get the whole miracle, but some miracles happen in stages! Those are moments when we need to double down in prayer.”- Mark Batterson
“When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ He looked up and said, ‘I see people. They look like trees walking around.’ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were open, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”- Mark 8:23-25 (NIV)
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 8 of Double Blessing as he talks about the challenge to pray the bravest prayer. Thus, Pastor Batterson defines bravest prayer as:
- the prayer you’ve prayed a hundred times that God hasn’t answered yet
- the most impossible miracle you could believe God for
Consequently, Mark exhorts, to experience the whole miracle, try praising God for partial miracles. A partial miracle, the author adds, constitutes a step in the right direction. In Mark’s account of the man born blind, Pastor Batterson notes, the man went from legally blind to 20/100. After Jesus got the man’s vision report, He fully restored his sight. Mark continues:
“Too often we withhold our praise for partial miracles, and then we wonder why the full miracle never happens. Why not praise God every step of the way, even if it’s two steps forward and one step backward!”
In conclusion, Pastor Batterson stresses that we must not trivialize the sacred. Instead, we need to sanctify what seems trivial. Because when you live the wide-eyed wonder, that absolutely encompasses everything in God’s creation.
Yet, you only get the blessing when you see the blessing. And that includes perfectly disguised blessings like brokenness. Once you thank God for the blessing, the only way to keep it is to give it away!
Today’s question: Do you find it hard to praise God for a partial miracle? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Money issues equal heart issues”
