hearing God

A Coin in a Fish: How Jesus Uses the Ordinary to Do Extraordinary Things

| Flo 
The Temple Tax (Two-drachma Tax) 
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax
came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes, he does,” he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 
“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. 
Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
Matthew 17:24-27 NIV

As I was reading from the passage above this morning, a thought popped into my head. Why didn’t Jesus just click his fingers and have a coin magically appear in His or Peter’s hands?

He could just as easily have done that. I mean, nothing is impossible with God, right?!

Well, to start, Jesus is not showy like that. He does not act in ways that are designed to attract attention and impress people. Doing it that way would almost be like a magician trying to entertain and amaze people and that is not Jesus’ MO! In all His ways, He is humble and intentional about how He does things.

I’m convinced that the means justify the ends with Him. Which brings me to the next point. Why fishing specifically? Why not mould a clay jar, tip it and find a coin inside? Well, God reminded me that Peter was a fisherman by trade. So, it’s quite intentional that He sent Peter to go and fish. I imagine that if Peter was a baker by trade, Jesus would have instructed him to bake a loaf of bread, cut it open, and find a coin inside it. 

God uses our natural skillset and our experience to do what He calls us to do. He chooses to partner with us where we are at to accomplish His purposes. It usually takes the ordinary things we are already capable of doing, coupled with our faith and obedience. This is how God often chooses to perform miracles.

Look at the first recorded miracle at the wedding in Cana, Galilee in John 2:1-12. Jesus instructed the servers there to fill jars with water, draw some out and take it to the banquet master. Somewhere along the way, the water turned into wine. It took the ordinary actions of ordinary people doing what they already had the skillset and experience to do. Simply put, they were just going about doing their job albeit in an unusual way.

So, it took obedience and a level of faith on their part to present water to the banquet master as though it were wine. That is the stuff that miracles are made of, isn’t it! God is not about fanfare or the hocus-pocus kind of miracles. He’s about doing the ordinary everyday things in an extraordinary, God-ordained way.

Jesus healed people by simply telling them to stretch out their hand, get up from their bed, wake up from the sleep that is death and so forth. For example, He simply told Peter, “Come,” and Peter walked on water Matthew 14:29.

Today, Jesus still performs miracles in the same way – no hocus-pocus, Abracadabra! fanfare or showy actions that are supposed to impress people. As Jesus followers, we should also emulate Him as we fulfil the Great Commission.

So, simply listen to what God is saying to you then respond in faith and obedience. He’ll partner with you and perform miracles through and for you.

Love,

The Story of a Man on a Hill

| Flo

A Picture from My Dad, the Greatest Artist of All Time

I was walking home, enjoying some much-needed quality time with my heavenly Dad. We’d walked to the shops together because I needed a few things, and I decided to turn the errand into intentional connection time. Now, I was on my way back. 

On the way there, we talked about nothing in particular, and yet, we talked about everything. About half-way, I passed a couple of ladies selling metal wares by the road side, a familiar and permanent fixture on that stretch. God prompted me to pray for them – their protection, their business, their salvation.

On the journey back, I noticed their kids had joined them. God prompted me to pray again, including their children. That simple act of obedience would later turn into a ministry moment – but that’s a story for another time.

As I was nearing home, I saw a striking image. It was one of those moments you wish you had a top-of-the-range camera on hand and the skill to match. But I had intentionally left my phone at home and couldn’t capture the moment. So instead, I took a mental picture. Sometimes this is better because you can really immerse yourself in the moment when you’re not looking at it through a lens (I’m certain there’s a deeper life lesson in that as well).

Here’s what I saw: 

It was twilight, with the sun dipping just below the horizon. The road I was walking on ascended to the crest of a small hill before disappearing beyond view. At the top of the hill, a young man of athletic build appeared on the right side of the road, and began descending. Behind him was a breathtaking sunset with layers of red, orange and amber hues blending into one another, rising to meet a slowly darkening sky. 

As he walked down, he playfully tossed something in the air and lifted his right arm to catch it. It looked like a victory pose, a fist raised in joyful triumph. Framing him, on either side was nature – trees, flowers, shrubs, grass –  juxtaposed against the concrete urban setting. Rising up, tall and proud, on his left, was a tall metal tower. All of it was silhouetted by the fading light. 

The whole view looked like art work. Like a staged photo. Like a gift.

I spontaneously started thanking my Dad. It was so beautiful, so intentional. It felt like it was painted just for me, for my pleasure. I couldn’t see anyone else in sight, just me and this man on a hill. Just as I was delighting in the sight, a car appeared at the top of the hill. Its bright headlights penetrated the deepening dusk, accentuating the scene, adding another layer of contrast and depth to the beautiful synergy of man, man-made structures and nature.

My heart was full as I continued to appreciate what I had seen. I prayed, “You did that, Dad! I see it. Thank you so much. It is blessing me.” I named my picture “Man On A Hill”. That was not the end of it. When God blesses, He blesses abundantly, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38). 

As I was nearing home, I saw another view. The same sunset but from a new angle. The same amber, orange and red hues were rising to an oddly bright sky this time, almost as though daylight was not quite ready to depart just yet. I remember thinking, “It’s as if the sun is saying even in darkness, when you cannot see me, I’ll always be bright, bringing light, just like the Son.” 

I thanked God for that image and that amazing message as well. To me, He had painted two beautiful pictures simple for my enjoyment. Just because… What a delight they were!

Love,