Hymns: Miracles

I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the very modern hymns.

Today’s song is Miracles from 2016.

So do I believe in miracles? Generally not. I remember someone saying that he heard some Christians saying that God is raising the dead somewhere in Africa. And so many were raised that they had to put a stop to it 😀. And sometimes, I’ve heard claims of miracles closer to home.

But miracles are rare. One of the chief reasons that Jesus made an impact and the early church made such quick progress was the miracles. People took notices because miracles generally don’t happen. Even in the Old Testament, they were rare – a cluster at the time of Moses and Elijah, but not many apart from that.

I don’t rule out the possibility of God doing miracles today. If someone you love dies, I see nothing wrong with asking God to raise them from the dead. But you’re expressing your feelings in the way that Jesus expressed his feelings when He asked his Father if there was any way to avoid His crufixion. One way another, He wanted to abide by His Father’s will.

Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

The word “miracle” is also used in the broader sense. When I passed my driving test, it felt like a miracle. And when I pray, and God answers in the way that I had hoped, I see that as a little miracle 😀. And I’ve seen plenty of miracles in football games. I remember Bono saying that he saw the success of U2 as a miracle when he was asked if he believes in miracles. And he was happy to proclaim is belief in the literal resurrection if Jesus. But these are different kinds of miracles. One is an actual miracle. The other just feels amazing.

God can certainly do anything. He’s not constrained by the laws of physics and so on. But for the most part, He doesn’t intervene in very obvious ways. Much of His work is more subtle. I see my new birth – being born again spiritually as a miracle. But many others might just see it as me choosing to be more religious or to change my religious outlook or whatever.

God doesn’t need to do New Testament-type miracles for us to believe in Him. I think of what Jesus said to Thomas after the resurrection:

John 20:26-29
²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” ²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

It’s not that Jesus expects us to take a leap of faith without any evidence. Thomas already has plenty of evidence to suggest that Jesus was capable of being raised from the dead. He just kept wanting more instead of expressing his faith in what Jesus had told His disciples before he died and rose..

And those of us who live in the 21st century have plenty of evidence in Scripture – much more than Thomas had, because we have the entire New Testament. And we have so many resources to help us to reflect on it all. This hymn isn’t about modern day miracles – it’s about the God of miracles. The one who created and sustains the whole universe makes himself available to us. He doesn’t always answer prayer in the way that we want, but He listens, and He is arranging our lives in this world to better prepare us for the New Heaven and New Earth. So, we we sing it, we are simply delighting in God.

Here are some other versions of today’s hymn: