He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
Who are the messengers we're missing, because they don't meet our expectations? For example, if we were expecting Elijah to come again it is likely we would fixate on the miraculous, the droughts and the fires that resulted from his words. We might miss the one who truly was turning the hearts of fathers back toward their sons, who truly was re-establishing the tribes of Jacob in righteousness.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
and who falls asleep in your friendship.
We must not try to fit the miraculous into a mold. It will never conform to our preconceptions about it. The risk is twofold. We either make assumptions and then are disappointed or deny the miraculous all together, thwarting God's desire to display his power through us. Like all else, the miraculous is added when we seek first the Kingdom. In our intercessory prayer or focus is not on the how but on the what. We leave the how fully in God's hands, even if that means he works through what seem to be entirely naturally means, or if he chooses to do something entirely beyond human comprehension.
The Wise Men followed a star. The shepherds heard angels glorifying God. We too must remain open and watchful so that we don't miss the specific ways in which God reveals himself to us. They are highly individual. These varied ways are the how. But the what is the same for all of us. Jesus himself, lying in the manger, is our destination. Preachers like John the Baptist help us prepare our hearts for him. Anything from which this preparation results is actually more miraculous than the mighty deeds that enchant us.
Our goal must be to welcome the messengers God sends to help us prepare. Miracles are often attendant with them, but not always. This is where we must be open but not fixate. Only in Jesus can our hearts truly fixate and find rest.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
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