In the Business of Miracles
KEENE, TEX. – Carleigh Corbett, a junior nursing student at Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU), believes God is still in the business of miracles. Each morning she spends time praying and reading the Bible or, at times, a book by Ellen G. White. Sometimes she journals her prayers. This not only helps her to be more organized in her thoughts, but also helps her to see how God has answered her prayers. This time connects her with God and sets her up for the day. “More than anything else,” she says, “it puts me in the right frame of mind, where I can more easily see God working in my life throughout the day.”
This past summer, as Corbett was interning as a nurse’s assistant, her devotional time gave her the patience and grace to deal with difficult patients. One particular day was the worst day of the summer. The patients were mean, the nurses were rude and everything seemed to be going wrong.
This left Corbett feeling discouraged and wondering if she should continue to pursue nursing. The thought crossed her mind to quit nursing school and do something else. “Lord let me know where you would have me to be,” she silently prayed. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the next room to help her patient. As she was interacting with the patient, Corbett felt strongly impressed to ask if she could pray for the woman. The patient happily accepted the offer. After the prayer, she asked if she could pray for Carleigh. Carleigh recounts how beautiful that prayer was amidst the chaos of the day as the patient asked God to guide Carleigh and give her wisdom.
After the prayer, the patient asked Carleigh if she was in nursing school. When Carleigh said “Yes,” the patient looked at her and responded, “Don’t give up, you will make a wonderful nurse. I believe this is what God is calling you to do.” For the remainder of the day, Carleigh kept thinking about the opportunity she would have missed if she hadn’t offered to pray for the patient.
While miracles alone should not form the basis of our faith, they do have an important role in letting us know that God cares for us as individuals. God is still in the business of miracles. The real question is, are our hearts, minds and eyes open to see them?
