Unclaimed Miracles

2 Kings 6:5-7
5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
KJV

God gave the young man in this Scripture a notable miracle. He caused an axe head of solid iron to swim upon the surface of the water. However, God did not stop here. He also spoke through the prophet Elisha in verse 7 and gave this young man the instruction that he needed to receive his miracle – “Take it up to thee.” In other words the Lord said, “I have given you a miracle, but you are going to have to reach out and take it. You are going to have to come part of the way to meet with your miracle. You are going to have to get your feet wet in the water to claim it.”

This powerful passage reveals to us an aspect of the miraculous. God will grant us a miracle if we need one. He will do the part that we cannot do – making the axe head float. But He will not do for us what we can do for ourselves, wading out into the water and taking hold of the axe head. Too many people expect God to not only grant them a miracle but to also pry open their closed hand and place the miracle within their grasp.

This goes against God’s nature. He does not force His provision and blessing upon the unwilling or those with tightened fists. He looks for the hungry, the thirsty, and they who are passionate about receiving from Him. God wants people who will not only ask for a miracle, but will also be willing to work for it. He will perform the miraculous for those that are willing to not only believe, but who are willing to mix works with their faith and get out of their comfort zone in order to receive it. Why would someone with closed hands or folded arms ask God for a miracle in the first place?

I wonder how many unclaimed miracles there are floating on top of the water of people’s trials. I believe there are untold numbers of promises and miraculous deliverances that God has already given to His people, yet they simply have not been picked up. The truth is obvious – we are not waiting on the Lord to come through for us, to heal us, to provide for us, or to deliver us. He is waiting for us to reach out and lay hold upon the miraculous that He has already made available.

Reach out and take what God has said you can have! Mix action with your faith! Wade out into the water and pick up your miracle that is floating on the surface! God has already done the work – the axe head is swimming. You just need to lay claim upon it.

Bro. Paul Nolan