Recently members of a distressed family confided in me, "We need a miracle--fast!" We all know what it's like to be upset by disturbing circumstances or broken relationships. In our anxiety, we want God to intervene without delay.

I once thought that "fast miracles" were God's most effective means of overcoming trials. But over a 3-year period, God used His Word to change my thinking. I discovered that divine interventions are only part of God's powerful ministry to His people. His slower, unfolding miracles are equally supernatural and often result in more lasting fruit.

In Isaiah 55:10-11, God used nature to illustrate this slower, fruitful process. Just as rain and snow water the earth, which gradually produces seed for sowing and bread for eating, so shall God's Word fulfill its purpose. He said, "It shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." And what is that "thing"? It is the renewal of people's lives and the glorifying of God's name.

That's the kind of miracle we all need--the unfolding work of God being accomplished in our own lives through His Word. It's not an instantaneous work, but it is supernatural.  — Joanie Yoder