So last night my mom and I had this great discussion about miracles. This is related to the topic of the man in Kiev eaten by lions (see the last blog) and a general question I have about how we, as Christians in the modern day world, are supposed to view miracles.

Now I believe that miracles happen on this earth. I've seen a few things happen that I could only classify as miracles. But when I think about the subject, it takes me back to a few years ago when a member of my church was baptized at a retreat in the mountains. His name was Travis, and he was (and still is) a wonderful, encouraging person, always smiling broadly from his wheelchair.

His baptism that autumn night was in a hot tub. A few men from the church lifted him from his chair and lowered him into the hot tub, he said that Jesus was Lord, and then he was submersed in the warm water. I was so struck by this moment that I would later write a poem about this experience.

Just before the baptism, at dinner, another man from the church had been talking about Travis. He had been a member of the same church as Travis, years ago. He remembered one night where the church laid their hands on Travis' frail body, prayed for him to be healed, and then told him to get up and walk. Travis, smiling, got up from his wheelchair. And he fell.

This bothered me. When I told it to my mom last night, she said, "Well, it was worth a try, wasn't it?" And I had to agree that yes, it might have been worth the try. But when he was being baptized, when he was lifted from the water and wrapped in towels and blankets so he wouldn't catch cold, when he was rushed inside where we all lined up to hug him, I kept picturing him falling. And I wondered, is it wrong for a church to expect such a miracle? Was it wrong for us not to try the same thing?

In the Bible, miracles seem to function as evidence of the power of God. When Daniel survived the lion's den, King Darius was impressed with God's power:

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." -Daniel 12:25-27

The New Testament also discusses miracles in this fashion, especially when it comes to Jesus' miracles and those performed by the early church. The books of Matthew and John both emphasize the miracles as proof that Jesus is the Messiah. Consider what Jesus himself says in John 10:37-38:

Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

So, that said, what do we do with the issue of miracles in our modern-day church? Can we expect the crippled to get up and walk?