What is a Miracle?

When God's Answer is Disappointing

Feb 7-14 is CHD (Congenital Heart Defect) awareness week. As many of you know our family experienced this traumatic disease first hand in 2023. I encourage you to click over to my son-in-law’s page to hear his and Lauren’s story of grace in the midst of grief. You can find it here at The Shepherd's Path.

Our Sweet Miracle!

I wrote the following post shortly after Christopher, my first grandson, past away only 12 days after he was born. To be honest I was in shock! I said the right things… things I believed, and still believe. What I wasn't prepared for was the battle ahead of me. The battle to continue to believe.

The lesson is that faith does not always appear triumphant (though it is). Sometimes, in the midst of trauma and grief faith is the tread that keeps you hanging on when the world seems dark and lonely. So as you read the following, don’t view it as coming from a place of strength, but of a weakness that refused to let go of God!

What is a Miracle?

We tend to think of miracles in big, earth-shattering, ways that defy reason and the laws of nature.

Those events can and do occur.

But, if we limit our understanding of miracles to these events alone, we will miss the countless miracles that God performs in our everyday world.

So many were praying for Christopher… praying for a miracle! Wanting so badly for the “big event” to take place and for Lauren and Caleb to bring Christopher home and watch him live a long and normal life.

As we struggle with our grief at his passing it is tempting, viewed only from human reason and understanding, to conclude that God did not grant us a miracle. “What chumps we were to believe that God would (or even could) do such a thing,” the devil whispers in our ear!

Some might say we didn’t pray enough… “ye have not because ye ask not.” But this is surely not the case as countless prayers from so many of God’s people were offered.

Some might say we didn’t pray correctly… “ye ask amiss.” But to pray for life and health is never outside of the will of God. (See James 5:14)

Still others might even go as far as to conclude that this proves that there really isn’t anyone to pray to. That God is an illusion and life is just up to chance and we were unlucky. Yet it is only the fool which says “there is no God!” (See Psalm 14:1)

I write this to tell you that none of these ideas tell the truth about miracles.

God did work many miracles surrounding Christopher’s life… let me share a few.

He created a wonderful new life and blessed Lauren and Caleb to be his parents… “we are fearfully and wonderfully made!”

He removed the imminent danger to his life within the womb so he could be born alive. Although his life was short… it was a miracle that he was able to live even for the brief time he was with us.

He astounded the medical staff when the first several days after he was born he remained stable enough to bless his mom and dad, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles, and many others with his beautiful countenance. There was a unique peace about him that passes all understanding.

He prepared his mom and his dad with a joy unspeakable and full of glory. Though you can be sure their grief is real… I am profoundly moved by the outpouring of His grace and strength upon my daughter and son-in-law. They inspire me with their trust in His steadfast love!

Finally, He provided the greatest miracle of all when He died upon the cross over two thousand years ago… drinking the bitter cup of sin so that the bitterness of our cup need only be the human suffering that comes from living within a broken world. If He would drink such a cup for us, should we refuse to drink after Him when he extends the cup towards us and beckons, “Follow me!?”

The sting of death still burns but it does not consume those who believe in Christ with repentant faith! This miracle of saving faith is the greatest of all miracles because it transcends the grave and guarantees that we can meet God and see Christopher again.

I say “can” because this miracle demands a response! We who possess the ability to hear and respond to the Gospel have the responsibility to consider its truth: The truth that Christ came and sacrificed Himself for the sinner who is hopelessly lost in sin… shed His blood on the cross… died… was buried… and rose again three days later victorious over sin and death. That His life was given for ours… our sin taken upon Himself so that His righteousness might rest upon us by faith and with it the gift of eternal life. That is indeed a miracle of miracles!

To enter heaven and see God, and be reunited with Christopher, we must believe the Gospel with repentant faith. We must humble our sinful selves before the holy God and accept His gift of salvation by faith in Christ’s atonement alone! This miracle is available to all who will believe!

So yes… I agree… we did not receive the miracle we were hoping for because God ways are not our ways. But God did perform, and is performing, miracles through this young man’s life. We grieve for the loss of time, the loss of presence, the loss of physical life, the loss of the joy of watching a son, grandson, great grandson, nephew grow and experience all the wonderful blessings of family and faith. But we rejoice in the magnificent power of God that brought us this beautiful boy and has granted us the grace to put him into the hands of God!

That, my friend, is a miracle!