FaithWorks Stories: A Miracle

God does not do miracles.  However, the problem is not with God, but with language.  The English language often uses one word to represent many things.  For example, the word “love” is used to express so many things that we often do not have a clue as to what love is.

“Miracle” is one of those words.  I have heard well meaning people say to those who are sick or troubled “God can always do a miracle.”  Others pray to God and ask for a miracle in regards to health, finances, relationships, etc. Sometimes, something happens for the good, and praises ring out.  At other times, it seems that the prayers go unanswered and the individual, family, or group feel abandoned or forsaken.

The problem lies with the fact that the word which relates to God which has been translated into the English language as “a miracle of God” should more appropriately be translated as the “signs and wonders of God.”  The word that is correctly translated as “miracle” actually has to do with human effort which is over and above what we think humans can do.  For instance, finding a cure for a disease is a miraculous event which involves the combined work of many patients, health care professionals, and researches.  It is a miracle when diseases like polio, tuberculosis, heart disease, cancer and others are eradicated.  But remember, the cure was always present which is one of “the wonders of God.”  We just had to find it.  Nothing is new to God.  The miracle is that we find something marvelous and then apply it to our lives.

Health Care is about to be radically changed.  Scientists have mapped out the human genome and are just now applying it to medical science.  Genetics will indicate the potential for disease and in many cases help us to avoid a disease that was common to our ancestors.  Genetics will help physicians prescribe correct doses for everyone where today a dose may not be enough for one person and may be lethal for another.  Embarrassing tests will no longer be necessary because our genetic makeup will tell the physician everything he or she needs to know.  The miracle is that we have found it.  The truth is that it was there from creation, so the powerful human gene is a sign and wonder of God.  It will be just as transformational as to the way we think and do things regarding health care as was the realization that the world is not flat, the earth is not the center of the solar system, and that our solar system is but one tiny speck in the universe.

Nothing has changed with God.  Miracles happen when we discover more of the signs and wonders of God.

Just this week, I witnessed a miracle.  A homeless family needed help.  The house they had rented was covered with mildew.  The ceilings, walls, and floors were black with the mildew, and they were about to move 5 children under the age of 10 into it.  Had they done so, they all would have been sick and they would have cost our tax funds thousands of dollars with trips to the emergency room with respiratory distress.  When I saw the house, my heart sank, and I knew that I needed help to assist them.

So, on Monday, I sent out one email message to my address book on my computer (another human-made miracle) explaining my need.  Over the course of 5 days, over 70 people responded with help.  Walls were sprayed with bleach to kill the mildew.  Ceilings, walls, and floors were cleaned.  Bathroom fixtures were sanitized.  The walls were painted, the floors were carpeted, and the house was filled with furniture, toys, books, clothes, and supplies.  It truly was a miracle what these people – rich, poor, young, old – performed.  On Saturday, the homeless family moved into a clean, comfortable home. 

The potential is always there.  Last week, we wiped clean the dirt and grime off of our side of the window and peered through to gain a glimpse into the beautiful Kingdom of God.  It was a miracle to us and to the family.  It was just a regular day for God.