Blog 26:
Who here is a fan of the 1987 film classic, The Princess Bride? It is a fun, whimsical satire of the traditional “hero saves damsel in distress and they live happily ever after” story. There is a point in the movie where the main character, Westley, is seemingly killed and his two colleagues bring him to someone known as “Miracle Max”. True to his name, Miracle Max is able to revive Westley (he is only “mostly dead”) and the heroic narrative begins anew. As the three are leaving to undertake a seemingly impossible task Miracle Max wishes them luck and says, “Have fun stormin’ da castle!” To which his wife asks, “Do you think it’ll work?” and Max replies, “It would take a miracle.”
This dialogue gives us a humorous take on what a miracle is thought to be in a modern setting. A sense of magic or mysticism as well as a sense of impossibility seems to make up the world’s current concept of a miracle. There is also an underlying focus on attempting to prove that the miraculous event can be explained simply by science. If somebody is only “mostly dead” (ironically an argument used to deny the resurrection of Jesus) then it wasn’t really a miracle at all.
Similarly, if a task is deemed to be impossible then saying it would take a miracle is simply a stronger affirmation that the task is impossible. This deconstruction of what a miracle is can also lead to the word not really meaning anything at all. If I say, “Traffic was so bad this morning it’s a miracle that I made it to work on-time.”, am I really saying anything other than how bad traffic was?
As Christians, we look at the miraculous events in the Bible and obviously identify some of those big events as miracles. The plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the works of Jesus (including His resurrection) are all examples of these big miraculous events. What about today, however? I don’t know about all of you but I cannot recall one of these big miraculous events happening in my lifetime. Is that all miracles are? Does God still work in miraculous ways today?
Dr. Grudem in his Systematic Theology text defines miracles in this way, “a less common kind of God’s activity in which he arouses people’s awe and wonder and bears witness to himself.” This is a super helpful definition because it identifies the purpose (God bearing witness to Himself) and leaves the scope undefined. This does not limit the miracles of God to the massive ones everyone knows but can encompass small overlooked details as well.
The reason I started this whole contemplation on miracles is because of reading through the book of Deuteronomy. As Moses is giving his final message to the Israelites, he draws their attention to both big and small miracles, the well-known and overlooked miracles of their journey.
2 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders. (big, well-known miracles) 4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. 5 Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. (small, overlooked miracles) I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 29:2-6, commentary mine)
There are countless sermon series or Sunday School series available for teaching/learning about the great miraculous works of God that brought Israel out of Egypt. I cannot recall a single time in church, Bible study, or seminary that there was meaningful focus given to the miracle of resilient clothing. This was convicting to me because that means I have limited my understanding of God's miracles to the big events.
Upon reflection, which is more miraculous: a one-time event lasting a few days (i.e., the frogs or locusts) or 40 continuous years of provision towards the Israelite’s clothing and food supply? It’s a trick question because they are equal according to the definition provided by Grudem. God explicitly is bearing witness to Himself for all of it in verse 6 and no further distinction is given regarding the miracles themselves. The clothes are as miraculous as the plagues and the sandals are as miraculous as the Red Sea.
As Christians this should be incredibly encouraging. The Westminster Shorter Catechism famously asks, “What is the chief end of man?” and answers, “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” If our desire (chief end) truly is to glorify God, it would behoove us to be aware of the ways He bears witness to Himself through miracles.
I recall a time my sister and I were climbing a small mountain outside our hometown and she fell into me which knocked me off of the edge. God miraculously pushed me back onto the edge and kept us both safe. I was a new believer at the time and was excited to glorify God for the way He saved us in this “less common way.” To me it was a big miracle but comparatively it was small as there were only 2 witnesses. Through it, however, God witnessed to Himself and brought awe and wonder to my sister and me. It was as though He was repeating to us what He said to the Israelites thousands of years ago, “I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.” This event laid the groundwork for my sister coming to faith many years later.
Brothers and sisters, God does work miracles today…big, small, and everywhere in between. My prayer is that you would ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to His working so that you may truly “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” It may be hard; I confess that I can readily recall my personal Red Sea experience that I shared above, but it is far harder for me to recall the ways He has taken care of my clothing and food. Let’s let go of what our culture says is a miracle and look for the acts of God that He works so the world might know that He is the Lord God. Blessings to you all!
P.S. As I spent time looking for a picture to include with this post, I was struck by how misunderstood the concept of miracles is even amongst Christians. So many were focused on a transactional aspect of God providing a miracle solely for the betterment of the individual. There was little emphasis on the glorification of God. A miracle should always been seen bringing glory to God and never to oneself.