Chapter 6 Miracles

God created this world, and it has proved to be an excellent environment for multiplying the human race (and other species) and for helping people begin their journey towards maturity.

Our world appears to function according to fixed physical laws, but God sometimes intervenes by means of what we call miracles. Many such miraculous events are described in the Bible, including healings carried out by Jesus and his followers, as well as Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Christians today still claim to experience God’s miracles of healing, guidance and protection in their lives and the lives of those they pray for. If this is true, why do such miracles not happen more often? And why does God not intervene to prevent such man-made horrors as the Holocaust and other examples of mass suffering?

We have previously outlined our understanding of God’s overall plan and his desire for all of creation to be reconciled to him and to live an abundant life. Such an eventual end can only be achieved if every person becomes fully mature and is willing to live each day by agape love. When everyone’s life displays its many facets of kindness, forgiveness, compassion, understanding and so much more, all misunderstandings and errors of judgement can be overcome and good relations can be maintained with everyone.

We believe God wants his children to become fully mature with the desire and ability to show agape love in all situations. All humans start out naïve about agape love. Babies and young children are selfish and demanding; in most cases as they grow they are taught by those around them and learn through experience to recognise the needs and importance of other people. We must each discover how to live by agape love. Just as process is everywhere in nature, so it is with how we grow as humans.

Living maturely in agape love is not easy and can only be attained through facing many trials, learning from those experiences and pressing on towards the goal. Often progress can only be achieved through experiencing and overcoming adversity. How can a person show true compassion to another unless they have experienced the same kind of suffering?

We believe that good habits and practices are achieved through trial and error and perseverance. Reading books can expand our knowledge, as can listening to the guidance of others. Sometimes we learn by observing others and by copying their good example, or by seeing the results of bad behaviour and resolving not to do likewise. These lessons are useful, but ultimately it is only when we attempt to put new ideas and behaviours into practice that we acquire them for ourselves and our lives are transformed.

We are bound to make mistakes. These usually only create minor problems, but occasionally our mistakes have traumatic consequences and exert a devastating impact on a large number of people.

God knows that we must be allowed to make mistakes and experience the consequences in order to grow and mature in agape love. Although this might result in great suffering and death, God accepts this because he knows that all can be put right in the ages to come.

With this understanding of the bigger picture, we will venture to suggest why God might intervene in certain cases. The comments that follow are our current thoughts on this matter and we would be the first to accept that we do not have all the answers.

We suggest that for a healing or another type of miracle to occur, it must benefit and further God’s overall plan.

God desires that all his children recognise him as a good and loving father. God has used miracles in the past to help us understand and recognise this, such as the exodus from Egypt in the Old Testament and the miracles of healing performed by Jesus and his disciples. God may use miracles today to endorse those Christian preachers who declare his true character, but we also need to beware of those whose lives and ministry do not exhibit agape love and use deception to gain a following.

Some miracles are used to extend or transform a person's life or to influence the lives of those close to them. Our understanding is that such miracles occur when God deems that one or more individuals will be significantly helped on their journey towards maturity as a result. The miracle might increase their faith or simply provide them with further opportunities to grow in agape love. Many near-death experiences (most of which we consider to be miracles) can be included in this category.

However, many miracles are requested and not fulfilled. As humans we have to accept that we cannot see all the pros and cons of a particular intervention and that only God knows the complete picture. The fact that God will never coerce or dictate also frequently prevents his direct intervention, but we believe that he always tries to influence the situation, as he cares for and loves every person.

We suggest that God mostly influences people through prompts from the Holy Spirit, although many may think of these prompts as coming from their own conscience. Our conscience should be our guide, but often we choose to ignore these prompts. God can attempt to influence a person directly in this way, or indirectly by prompting others to intervene or guide in a situation. Again, we must be careful of the influence of others, as it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the prompts of the Holy Spirit and those with less noble intentions.

We believe that God attempted to influence, directly and indirectly, those responsible for the Holocaust, but that they ignored these prompts. Because God is love and does not force his will on anyone, the Holocaust of the mid-twentieth century could not be stopped. The same is true of other genocides and man-made tragedies. However, it stands to reason that there may be an untold number of such tragedies that have been prevented when people have listened to the prompts of God's Spirit. God is relational, and when invited to be present with us in our hearts, our homes and our actions, amazing things can and will happen.

The Spirit of God is constantly inviting humanity to recognise God’s love and to grow in the ways of agape love. It has always been God’s desire to walk with us in our lives and for us to experience his love and guidance every day. We are convinced that our lives, and the lives of those around us, can be blessed by God’s love if we are open to his promptings and accept that his divine love is above all things.

The question of miracles and God’s direct intervention in the course of events here on Earth is a complex one. We have personally experienced the promptings and influence of God’s Spirit in our lives. However, we are the first to admit that determining why God does or does not intervene in any particular situation is beyond our limited human understanding.