There’s this line in the movie, While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock is talking to Peter Gallagher about saving people (and squirrels) and when Gallagher says he has never had a chance to be a real hero, she comments that he gives up his seat on the train every day. Peter says, “Well… but that’s not heroic.”
Bullock says something totally beautiful right there. She says, “It is to the person who sits in it.”
Honestly, that’s the only time in the entire movie that I see something in Peter that I actually liked. He comes off as a self-centered, shallow person. But that one thing there showed me that there was more to him than he let on.
Sometimes I feel like God is like that—in our eyes, anyway. We put Him in this Sunday School box where all things like miracles are contained in the Bible only, and are big, tremendous things like parting the Red Sea or healing blind people—raising the dead.
But Delores Liesner has written a devotional of thirty-one little miracles that God has allowed her to be a part of, and when I saw that review copies were available, I asked for one.
Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Furthermore, I requested a review copy of this book and was provided with one. Opinions and book both are offered without expectation or compensation.
How to Recognize and Be One of Life’s Small Miracles
Delores Liesner tells her stories in Be the Miracle in a conversational style that makes you feel as if she’s in the room sharing them. You can almost feel her excitement bubbling off the page as she recounts how the Lord has used her to bless people over the years.
She asserts that this can and should be the norm for every Christian and explains how one is to be that small miracle for someone else. I recognized those small moments of blessing as I read story after story of how some small obedience on her part proved to bless someone—even herself sometimes.
So, how does one do that? Ms. Liesner insists it takes just three things:
- Pray
- Listen
- Obey
Sounds an awful like what Jesus taught, doesn’t it?
Be the Miracle! chapters each have a true story from the author’s life, verses to study, action plans, and reminders to pray, and journal space to write out what the Lord taught you that day.
Readers should be aware that Ms. Liesner does frequently mention God specifically telling her to do this or that. This cannot be explained as extrapolating and applying Scripture as God’s conversation. The commands are specific to people in her life. My only other quibble with the book was the use of The Message for some of the Bible verses. I am not comfortable with paraphrases in place of Bible translations (and I know some of my readers aren’t either), so I thought I’d mention it.
I rarely enjoy devotionals like I did this one—particularly ones heavily influenced by anecdotes instead of Scripture, but Ms. Liesner touched a spot in my spirit that needed to be reached with it. I suspect the Lord has a lesson for me in there. Meanwhile, I’m just glad I requested a review copy of the book. This won’t be the last time I read it.
About the Book
Book Title: Be the Miracle
Author: Delores Liesner
Genre: Non-fiction, Christian living, devotional
Release date: June 1, 2018
Whether we title these unexplainable happenings miracles, God-sightings, or some other name, people love to hear of such occurrences. Why? They increase our faith by providing evidence of the miraculous in our everyday lives and heighten awareness of God’s desire to minister personally to us and through us.
I love While You Were Sleeping (I think it was the first movie that actually belonged to me), and I totally agree about Peter. He seems so flat, until we get that little glimpse.
Pray, Listen, Obey…sounds so simple, but sometimes the execution is not so much! I have to remind myself that growth and that rich depth of prayer-warrior-ness takes time. My prayer: God, help me learn to recognize your voice and actually ask you what opportunities you have for me today!
Exactly. I really liked the reminder that what seems little to us can be huge for someone else.
This sounds like an encouraging and challenging devotional! Hearing about God’s faithfulness always reminds me that He is in control and He is good. Reading someone’s admonition that I need to pray, listen and obey to find out where God is ready to utilize me for His kingdom gives me a gentle nudge toward the practical application of what I’m learning. I’m excited to read Be The Miracle!
It really is very encouraging!:)