A God of Miracles

One of the things I hear from non-Christians is that they don't believe in God because they don't see any works or wonders. "If God would only do a miracle, I'd believe in Him." "If He exists, let Him prove it by fixing such-and-such situation in my life." God worked a lot of miracles in the Bible, so many people expect Him to work one in their lives. It's only fair, right?

There are many problems with this request. The first is that God doesn't owe any of us a miracle or even proof of His existence. He's given us Jesus, which is more than we could ever repay, and enough proofs in all the other miracles He's done. What He chooses to do in someone else's life does not mean that He somehow owes us the same.

Second, if God proved Himself through a miracle, there would be no faith. I can tell you that the paint on a given chair is wet and you can believe that I am telling the truth without testing it. That is faith. If you touch the chair and find the paint is wet, there is no faith in me, for you have the evidence on your fingers that the paint is wet. We need to believe in God through faith, not through proof, and so He will not prove Himself to us by fixing everything.

Also, if God just fixed everything for people in order to get them to become Christians, it's highly unlikely that anyone would become a Christian for the right reason. They would seek God for the blessings and not for God. He will not let Himself become a cosmic vending machine for us, especially when the true blessing is greater knowledge of and fellowship with Him.

Fourth, God is still a God of miracles. My mother has more medical issues than I can usually remember, not the least of which was a pancreatic tumor. Pancreatic tumors are among the most dangerous type, for they almost always turn into a malignant cancer, with little chance of survival for the victim. Her chances would be practically nil with her other issues weakening her. She just found out from the most recent scan that the tumor has somehow disappeared entirely. Not gone into recession, but completely gone. She had no operation, no chemo, no radiation therapy. It just disappeared and the doctors don't know how or why.

Her neck had several herniated discs in it; the latest x-rays show only one. Her migraines, which have plagued her for years and were the original reason she became unable to work, have been attacking her less often. Days where she used to have no energy and be pretty much bed-ridden are becoming less common as well. There is still a number of issues, but across the board, she seems to be getting healthier for no apparent reason.

I'll be honest; the main point of this post was to talk about my mother rather than to make some deep theological point about God. I'm just in awe at what He has done and perhaps a little skeptical, like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. It is an issue of my faith, not only in God's power, but more so in His goodness and personal love for me and my family. I, too, sometimes need to be reminded that He is, indeed, a God of miracles.