Beyond Sunday - Jesus is ______: Miracle Worker?

...by Michael Switzer

Miracles not as a 'favor' but as a reminder.

Even as a Christian, I find the idea of miracles very difficult to grasp. It's hard to imagine that, in a universe created with such eloquent and intricate laws of physics, God the creator might bend or change laws to impact a situation's outcome or that He might manipulate a thought process, perception, or ability of someone. Why would God choose to perform miracles?

As Greg suggested, miracles are rare and inconsistent. But how rare and how inconsistent? It’s fascinating to me to think that if everyone on earth exclusively experienced just one miracle during his or her lifetime, God would be performing an average about 175 miracles every minute (over 250,000 per day). That seems like a lot of intervention. If it's not the case that God has such regular intervention, should it be surprising that most of us might never experience firsthand a miracle of God?

It's often said the birth of a child is a miracle. Is it? There's no doubt in my mind childbirth is an extremely complex and intricate process that, at its core, no one understands (as in the context of a reason). We know to some extent what happens during child birth but why it occurs in the first place is forever a mystery whose answer is held only by God. Simply because child birth is complex and amazing and it yields a new life, is it necessarily a miracle?

Miracles to me are a very serious exception created by God as a reminder. Miracles are intentional, and I believe the intent lies within the mean or the process through which the miracle takes place. When I pray for a miracle to occur, am I not just praying for the outcome of a situation to be changed (usually for my or someone else's benefit)? Do I miss the point of miracles if my posture is 'God, work your magic and do me a favor?' When God does perform miracles He has a purpose. I think we overlook His purpose when we focus on what we get out of the deal rather than the transformations we're asking Him to make. Let miracles serve not as 'favors' of God but as 'reminders' of who God is and His existence.

When we pray for miracles or are blessed in some way to experience a miracle, let us focus on the fact that the hand of God entered (or can enter) into our lives and touched it in a miraculous way.