Everyday miracles

Dear Friends,

“There is nothing that God hath established in a constant course of nature, and which therefore is done every day, but would seem a miracle, and exercise our imagination, if it were done but once” (John Donne).

Imagine how excited you would be if you had never before seen a sunrise, or the first green shoots of spring, or rain falling from the sky. Would it not seem like a miracle? Would you not be glued to the experience, wondering what would happen next, wondering whether you would ever see it again? We get some idea of what that might be like when we see the joy on the faces of young children seeing snow for the first time.

The sad truth is that we grow tired of the wonders God works every day merely to keep the world turning and us breathing. Because we have discovered a fraction of how God does some of these things, we should not lose sight of the fact that it is he who does them. Instead, it should lead us to marvel at what he does every day and every year without fail, whether that is on the cosmic scale of the planets or the microscopic scale of the human brain.

The LORD “makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts” (Psalm 104:14-15, NIV). Praise the Lord!

Your friend and brother,
Chris Hobbs (Senior Minister/Vicar)