Faith at its best is not concerned with miracles, but rather with the world as it is. The man of faith finds a reflection of God in cherry blossoms and in tulips, in the forest and in the lake, in the ocean and in the desert. He finds a reflection of God's goodness in good acts, in kindness and in compassion. God is found in the deeds of people, in the love that they have for each other.
So, the Jew pronounces the Shema each morning and night to affirm the presence of God that follows him along through the long day. The faith that the Jew professes in the Shema allows him to work through the hard times, to face difficulty and sadness, allows him to meet success and accept it with an equanimity of spirit.The Shema, which we read about in the Torah last week, proclaims that God is one, and that all we are and all we hope to be comes from that understanding.
The Shema allows us to recognize that God is the source of life and existence and creation itself. It allows us to find the ineffable in a glass of water, in the ripple of a brook, and from a gentle breeze.
When we proclaim that God is One to which there is no number two, we not only proclaim His existence, but also we affirm our own humanity and purpose.