“The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs” (George Eliot, 1861, Middlemarch).

I hope and pray that I can be found faithful in an ordinary life expressing God’s goodness and mercy in ordinary ways. A young Corrie ten Boom once heard an evangelist from India preach about all the miracles that were occurring on the subcontinent. After his preaching Corrie went up to him and exclaimed, “How I wish I could see such miracles. What faith you must have!”

The Indian preacher kindly smiled at the young Corrie and said, “In truth your faith must be greater. Jesus said blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29). Blessed are those who faithfully follow Jesus without a lot of hoopla and fanfare but quietly walk in obedience to Him and serve Him faithfully, gladly and quietly. I think it takes more faith to walk consistently like that than to see the dead raised back to life. Once you’ve seen the big stuff, you can’t deny God’s existence. When you see Him in the small stuff of daily life your faith is strong and wholly dependent on Him.

My prayer today for all of us is that we never underestimate the power of God to work in and through our lives in ordinary circumstances and everyday occurrences. As with Elijah, “The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

May we find our intimacy and connection with Jesus in the gentle whispers of our everyday lives and may we always be open to hear them. Peace.