Horror & Miracles
By Erik Farstad
February 24, 1998
"Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?" Psalm 106:2
A reader asks: What is the greatest horror you can imagine and what would be responsible for it? And also, What would be the greatest miracle and what would be responsible for it?
I think these questions are excellent because so many of us deal with many different horrors and miracles in our lives, but have we really been challenged to point out the most important. I knew what my answers would be the moment I read them, but never thought about them in this light. Thank you for this challenge and interest to discover and question.
The first, my greatest horror and what would be responsible for it. This is simple for me to answer. My greatest horror would be not to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, knowing and believing in Him as my Savior and Lord. And I would be the one responsible for it! If you were to ask me this question when I was fifteen when I didn�t know Christ, I probably would have answered differently. Something like drowning or losing my legs perhaps. Why? Well, because I was blind to Christ. I didn�t see or want to believe that I needed a savior...my life was fine. The things of this world were important to me then. But when I took my eyes off of my life, this world and the things around me that tempted me, I saw my life for what it truly was. Before Christ I was living a life desiring more, desiring answers, desiring someone or something to make me feel alive with a purpose. I didn�t want to just live, not knowing or understanding why I was here and what I was meant to be. Through the years Christ has shown me why I am here and what I am to be and do. I have been created by a loving God, to walk beside Him all of my days. I am to be a witness to His love and glory and to do whatever He asks of me. This begins here on this earth and will continue into eternity when I join Him in Heaven. My horror would be for this gift, this life, to be ripped away from me. It was my responsibility to accept God�s gift of salvation. So if I didn�t choose this gift, that is free for anyone who calls upon His name, my horror would have come true.
Secondly, my greatest miracle and what would be responsible for it. The greatest miracle was Jesus Christ dying on the cross for me. The responsibility falls on my loving God above, who gave me a chance to accept His gift of Jesus. You could argue that like my horror I might be responsible because I chose Him, but the true miracle wasn�t my accepting Christ but Christ willing to accept me. Jesus chose to accept me, by showing He was willing to die for me! God didn�t have to send Jesus and Jesus didn�t have to die for me, but both happened. This my friends is the biggest miracle you will ever experience, if you choose to accept this most precious gift of life! And I pray you accept this gift now, Jesus� hands are outstretched right now. All you need to is grab them and say, "Jesus I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior. I believe you died for my sins. I ask that you come into my life now. Amen."
The horror of the past has now become only a faint memory. Welcome to the miracle of a new life!
In Him, "E"