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Praying for a Miracle

Most of the things people ask me to pray about, and most of the things I pray for are miracles. We don’t look at them that way. We don’t talk about them that way, but that is what they are. We often don’t pray for things we can do ourselves, we just do them. We pray for things that we can’t do our selves. We often pray for things that are impossible for anyone to do. This is normal. We look to God to change hearts, heal bodies, mend relationships, fill bank accounts or cupboards, etc.

We don’t call these things miracles because of our culture. We have a culture of secular skepticism where we don’t expect God to do anything miraculous in our hearts of lives. We expect God to keep to his side of the line and maybe, though circumstantial or “normal” courses of events to work things out for us if possible. We want to look respectable and not like the kinds of people who are always talking about miracles or seeing miracles or demanding miracles. THOSE people are considered to be foolish, naive or slick in a con man kind of way. Miracle working pastors are often looked upon with suspicion and for good reason. Working the miracle con is a proven way to relieve simple or gullible people out of their money or worse. I am not that kind of pastor. We are not that kind of church.

I do believe in Miracles

If someone were to ask me if I did believe in miracles I would quickly tell them that I do. I know people who have been miraculously cured, and not simply in the sense of “I feel a little bit better today than yesterday”. Not too many years ago a friend of mine who is a CRC pastor had some debilitating chronic conditions for which he had received numerous treatments and surgeries. When some missionaries who work in African were on home service their polite conversation began to focus on his significant medical problems. The missionaries shared a number of stories similar to his own in a variety of ways. After a fair amount of conversation, together with the elders of the pastor’s church they did some intensive effort in prayer and talking through some things resulting in a dramatic change in the pastor’s condition. His healing resulted in him being able to not only engage in normal ministry again but also some of his athletic hobbies. I’ve known the man for years knowing his trustworthy character and I have zero reason to doubt anything about this story. It is not the only story I know like it. I’ve seen enough to have no doubts at all that miracles are just what they are defined to be, acts of God to bring blessing and healing into this world quite out of the ordinary ways the world works. They are uncommon and exceptional, quite outside of our control.

I would love it if every prayer I prayed for someone would result in the immediate resolution of the crisis they are facing. At least I think I would want that. I can’t of course know that even this would necessarily be a good thing.

Craig Keener’s book on Miracles Continue reading →