Hidden Miracles

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“There are none so blind as those who will not see.”

It is a common expression that could apply to all of us as we seek to unravel the secrets of our existence. But perhaps it is most appropriately applied to those whose roots of belief are firmly planted in the rich soil of science and logic.

And it applies to all of us to some degree – believer and non-believer alike.

We are all prisoners of the world of science, logic, and personal experience that we have created. We are all blinded by the shadows of our ignorance and the glare of “common knowledge.” We are guilty of worshipping at the altar of our technology and mocking anything we cannot explain as “supernatural” mumbo-jumbo.

We look for proof clothed in miracles that meet our standards. Anything that fails to meet those standards, we dismiss with the shopworn phrase, “there must be a logical explanation.”

We are “those who will not see.”

Yet, logic, properly used, does have its place. If we set aside our doubts for a moment and use logic to analyze a passage from the Bible, it might reveal a path toward experiencing some of those hidden miracles.

“Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”  Mark 10:14. The key element of that Bible quote is the phrase “for of such is the kingdom of God.”

If we apply an analytical filter to that phrase, we might recognize that the innocence of children makes them capable of believing things beyond their experience. It is the accumulated calluses of adulthood that blinds us to the miracles that surround us.

It is that blindness that prevents us from recognizing the miracles that surround us. Those miracles are hidden only in the sense that we cannot see through the veil of logic that we ourselves have woven.

From the smallest component of matter to the incalculable vastness of the universe, we are surrounded by miracles that are hidden by our self-imposed blindness. We are surrounded by evidence of the existence and works of God.

Perhaps the first step is to will ourselves to see. Perhaps we need to flip that phrase of the logical world – “I’ll believe it when I see it” and embrace the idea that “I’ll see it when I believe it.”

 

 

Let There Be Light

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It is one of the earliest and most profound statements in the Bible.

Let there be light.

Even those who express doubt about the origin of the creation story in the book of Genesis would have to agree. Without light, we couldn’t exist.

The light from our sun powers life on our planet. Light from the sun provides the warmth that prevents the earth from becoming nothing more than a frozen globe of rock and ice. That same light, combined with the tilt of the earth’s axis, triggers the seasons.

Light is the fuel that powers the plant life that is the foundation of the food cycle that feeds the other advanced life forms that exist. Light is the resource that allows plant life to produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis.

As our understanding of the properties of light advances, we find even more miracles inside.

Laser light is used to perform delicate eye surgery. Fiber optic cables allow the transmission of text, sound and visual images over long distances.

It has been proposed that solar sails might be used to propel spacecraft.

Astronomers use the properties of light to calculate unattainable measurements of the universe.

The different wavelengths of light allow us to see various colors that add beauty to our life experiences, and our eyes are designed to identify those colors – a combined miracle. The very contrast between light and darkness allows us to navigate and appreciate our world.

With all this information, we are challenged to consider the dispute between divine creation and accidental existence. Once again we must ask ourselves if we could possibly conceive of so many miraculous traits of light being merely chance, an accident of nature.

Or, is it part of a complex plan of existence that began with a simple command.

Let there be light.

 

God’s Timetable

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One of the factors we need to acknowledge when we try to balance logic and faith is the inescapable reality that we are handicapped by our language. And perhaps nothing is more confusing in that respect than the meaning of time.

After centuries of advances in science, today’s scientists still struggle to understand the nature of time. Most recently, science has attempted to explain the relationship between physical dimensions and time by inventing a new theory they call spacetime.

Confusing? Of course.

Now try to imagine the Creator of the universe and all it contains, including the element of time, trying to convey that concept to His human creation. Then try to imagine that human trying to record that concept in a text he could share with humanity.

That is pretty much what we encounter in reading the first book of the Bible which is attributed to Moses.

The sequence of events described in the creation story corresponds quite closely to what science tells us about the probable development of life on the earth. The logical disconnect occurs when we try to merge science theory with the description of events in the book of Genesis.

As we try to reconcile these two conflicting concepts we need to accept the fact that Moses, the author of the text, wasn’t an eyewitness to the creation. If we assume that the story of creation was passed on to Moses by God, is it possible that Moses, handicapped by the limitations of human language, wrote that description in the only language he knew.

This clearly brings up the question –  is God’s definition of a “day” the same as the human interpretation.

A more recent occurrence that demonstrates this question came about when the year 1999 ended and the new year of 2000 began. There were many that expected this event to be the time of the return of Christ, and were confused and disappointed when that did not occur. Others would shake their heads and pose the question – “What makes you think God acts according to our human calendar?”

Once we recognize that the definitions of the passage of time in hours, days, months, and years is a human invention, we can reconcile the conflict between science and faith.

Perhaps God’s definition of a “day” is different than the human definition. Perhaps the conflict between the creation story in Genesis and the development of the earth as described by science isn’t in conflict after all.

With all of eternity at His disposal, God might employ all the tools of physics and chemistry He created to accomplish His construction project according to His timetable, not ours. Then it was up to Moses to convey that information in the best was he could. Then it becomes our task to understand.

As we struggle to understand His messages, God waits patiently.

After all, He has all the time in the world, and then some.

 

God’s Answer – Your Mission

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Your mission, should you accept it…

It sounds like a line from a movie, but maybe there is more to that statement than you would guess.

Ever had someone come along at just the right time to be the answer to your prayer? Coincidence? Maybe not.

We get so focused on projecting our prayers and wishes that we fail to listen for answers. Maybe those answers come in the form of other people appearing in our lives at just the right moment.

Although we may have free will, that does not preclude the possibility that God nudges us in the right direction. Is it possible that God, like any caring parent, makes choices as to which problems are best left to us to solve, and which problems are appropriately subject to His influence?

Our knee-jerk reaction would likely be that, when we are in most dire need, it seems that there is no response from God. It seems contrary to human logic that God would ignore our most urgent needs, yet answer less important matters. To us, that makes no sense.

Once again, we need to acknowledge that our judgment comes from our human experience. Our judgment comes from human interpretation. And that interpretation is limited more by what we don’t know as it is by what we know. In other words, we don’t have access to all the facts.

Perhaps it is the act of working through those difficult moments that is most important to our spiritual growth.

So, what are the criteria that determine when God acts on our behalf?

Perhaps the criteria are simply those subtle but critical moments that we don’t even realize are important. Perhaps it is simply those moments when our prayers are quiet thoughts unhindered by the din of our emotions. Perhaps it is then that God nudges us in the right direction by using another person to help or guide us.

Perhaps those moments when you feel compelled to reach out a helping hand to another is God’s way of answering someone else’s prayer. Likewise, when someone appears in your life at just the right time, with just what you need to calm your soul, it is God’s response to what you really need at that moment.

Most importantly, maybe the answers we hear, the urges we feel clothed in love, are the answers to someone else’s prayers.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to be the answer to someone’s unspoken prayer.

God’s Puzzle Factory

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If God wanted the human race to advance, grow, learn, and evolve, what process would He employ?

Perhaps the answer to that question has been with us all along.

As quick as we are to debate the conflict between science and faith, we may be missing the most obvious clue to that puzzle. The advances in science, architecture, art, music, mathematics, and astronomy are just the tip of the iceberg in the potential volume of knowledge that we constantly nibble at.

Perhaps there is purpose in our continual quest for more knowledge. Perhaps it is part of God’s master plan to give humanity the incentive to evolve intellectually.

If we reflect on it, we would realize that it is the human trait of hunger for more understanding that has driven, and continues to drive development in all areas. Pick any area of human endeavor and the evidence is there.

Medicine. Science continues to search for the causes of diseases and the cures or preventions.

Chemistry. What chemical reactions or combinations will produce more energy or led to the development of materials to make life easier?

Physics. How can we tap into the incredible energy of the atom? What makes it all work?

Music and art. What new combination can we create to bring joy to the human heart?

Astronomy. What is out there in the universe?

We all have challenges and trials in our lives. Perhaps those struggles are God’s way of giving us something to strive for.

If we didn’t have puzzles to solve and struggles to overcome, would we just exist in a lifetime with no purpose? Could we even survive a lifetime with no reason to exist?

Perhaps God’s unending puzzle box is part of His plan to allow us to survive and evolve. Perhaps each of us needs to discover our purpose and strive to accomplish that purpose and earn our place in the history of humanity.

There is, after all, no end of mysteries to solve.

Angel Garb

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All our lives, we have seen images of angels. The images we have come to expect are usually beautiful females with outstretched white wings. We would probably question if they were portrayed in any other way. In fact, these images have been presented to us for hundreds of years.

Interestingly, most of the angelic beings described in the Bible are male figures, dressed in white robes, but without wings. So, what is the source of these lovely lady flying angels?

Like so much of the pomp and ceremony of the church, the image of angels is probably the result of human interpretation that appealed to human senses and was adopted over time. Early artists probably created the first images, and later generations, in their zeal, elaborated. No doubt, devout believers, in the passion of their faith, wanted to present the messages of the Bible in the most appealing fashion, and so, the image of an angel evolved.

This is a perfect example of how the messages of the Bible are sometimes distorted, modified, or misinterpreted in the fog of cultural and political events, or by the personal views of an influential person or group. For better or worse, this is also how Christianity has become divided over the centuries. Todays’ churches are separated by subtle, yet significant differences in interpretation. Too many churches have veered off course to address human desires rather than Christian principles.

It is a trap that many have fallen victim to.

The history of Christianity is tarnished by extreme interpretations that have led to warfare and atrocities that are in direct conflict with core Christian principles. Regardless of which church we might choose to identify with or attend, we must constantly embrace the core of Christian principles and reject any distortions or abuse of Christianity.

The question of whether angels are male or female, or whether or not they dress in white robes and have wings is unimportant.

What is most important is to remember that, as emissaries of God, they are clothed in love.

Near Miss

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Perhaps you’ve had it happen to you – a near miss. Somehow you avoided becoming a victim. Perhaps someone else died, and you didn’t. Maybe you called it pure luck, or the luck of the draw.

Or, perhaps you thought “by the grace of God.”

In a lifetime, each of us is likely to have such an experience. Afterward, we may have marveled at the particular circumstances that saved us. Maybe you got caught in traffic and were delayed just long enough to avoid being the vehicle that was crushed by that overturned semi. Maybe you were late for work because the kids were dawdling and you were absent when a disgruntled co-worker came to work with a gun.

The possibilities or the probabilities are endless. And over the course of a lifetime, it may happen again and again, and each time, you chalk it up to chance.

But is it?

Each of us probably ponders at some time in our life – why am I here? What is my purpose in life? Yet, in all probability, we are unable to identify a particular purpose for our existence.

Are we destined to produce a child who will one day become a serious influence in world events? Are we here to be the positive role model for another, or to be the comfort for someone in distress? Are we here to be at a particular time and place to inspire another? Will we even recognize that moment?

Is it possible that God creates those little inconveniences to protect us until we have fulfilled our purpose?

It is likely that each of us is created with free will. After all, we make plenty of mistakes. And the thought of God coordinating our lives like so many marionettes is a bit contrary to the concept of free will.

Maybe it’s a combination of both.

Perhaps we are allowed to live our lives as we choose, and God merely gives us a little nudge now and then to keep us on track, to guide us toward our purpose.

Then comes the doubt. How could God possibly keep track of the lives of millions of people on the earth, and coordinate those near misses to achieve His purpose?

But then, how could God possibly coordinate the movements and orbits of billions of stars, planets and moons in the universe?

Logic suggests that compared to that, watching over a few million lives is child’s play.

 

God Help Me

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It is probably the most passion-filled plea uttered across the world. It is voiced in many languages, under many difficult circumstances.

“God help me.”

It is the cry that comes from deep inside our soul. It is the cry that we express when we see no other option but divine intercession. It is the cry of surrender when we reach our breaking point, when we believe that we have no control, and only the power of God can save us.

“God help me.”

It is ironic that those of us who feel quite comfortable coasting through life without faith in a higher power, suddenly appeal to that Higher Power in that moment of desperation. And when we fail to see any results from our plea, we revert to our weak or non-existent faith.

What we may fail to realize is that the help we seek has been with us all along. What we fail to realize is that the existence of the God we appeal to is the answer to our prayer.

This is one of those moments when faith and logic unite to provide the answer we need – not necessarily the answer we want.

There is no escaping the fact that each of us will experience moments of desperation. It may be the loss of a loved one through death or divorce. It may be a job loss at the worst possible time. It may be a betrayal or a financial disaster.

We all have those moments. It is part of the experience of life, and life does carry those surprises, many times unpleasant, many times overwhelming.

Perhaps the secret to coping with those terrible moments is adjusting our perspective. Perhaps we need to recognize that those moments are but a fraction of our existence on earth. Perhaps we need to acknowledge the vastly overwhelming amount of good in our lives and accept that those few moments of pain and anxiety is the price we pay for the opportunity to experience joy.

Perhaps, from our new perspective, we can realize that the fact that God does not intervene as we would wish, does not mean He is indifferent to our suffering. He may, in fact, have already answered our prayer in advance by giving us the tools we need to overcome our pain.

Finally, we need to realize and embrace the logical conclusion that it is our relationship with our Creator that is the key to unlocking the strength, courage, and perseverance that we need to survive those crisis moments and go on to thrive.

We all have the tools to cope with a crisis, but those tools are dormant until we activate them. And it is our faith that can bring them to life.

 

Christmas Star

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It’s a familiar part of the Christmas story, acted out in countless reenactments -the three wise men or magi, following the star to the site of the birth of Christ. It is also one of the most challenged elements by the science community.

Was it a star, or a comet? Was this star actually a conjunction of several planets? Was it a meteor? Could it have been a rare atmospheric event similar to the Northern Lights?

From a scientific viewpoint, there are problems with any of the explanations. Most of the explanations are handicapped by the element of time. Most of the possibilities could not have lasted long enough to guide the wise men on such a long journey.

So, what is left?

Perhaps the most probable explanation is that of a supernova – an exploding star. It is estimated that such an event would create a star with increased brilliance over the course of several months before it began to diminish. And that scenario sounds entirely compatible with the Christmas story.

So, what has this to do with faith, science, and logic?

We know from Biblical texts that the birth of Jesus was predicted hundreds of years before the event. We also know that light from distant stars requires years to reach earth. Light from some of the more distant stars might require centuries to reach earth. It is reasonable to assume that a supernova event large enough to inspire the wise men to undertake such a quest, would be extraordinarily powerful, yet far enough away that the earth was safe from any harmful effects.

When we consider the precise timing of the Christmas star appearing at the exact moment of Jesus’ birth, we must recognize that putting such events into motion hundreds of years ahead of the culmination could only be accomplished by the Higher Power we call God.

 

Three Kings

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Three kings sounds like a respectable winning poker hand, but in the weeks preceding Christmas, it heralds a different kind of winning. In the tunes celebrating the season, we hear of the three kings of the orient (or eastern lands), and their journey following a special star. In the brief mention in the book of Matthew, we read that these visitors followed that star to the birthplace of Jesus. We read further that they came prepared to offer tribute and honor the subject of their travels.

As brief as the passages are that describe this event, their importance to the story is significant.

These foreign visitors have been described as “wise men,” “kings,” or “royal astrologers,” depending on which translation or interpretation you consult. In all probability, the term “astrologers” is the most accurate. It would explain why these men would follow a star that stood out as unusual in the night sky.

In our quest to unite logic with faith, this event stands out as dramatic evidence of the credibility of the Christmas story. While astrology was undoubtedly practiced by other cultures throughout the world, undertaking such a quest on the basis of the appearance of a unique star, has to be unparalleled in world history. While others may have attempted to chase down random steller events, it is unlikely that those investigating similar sightings would have bothered to pack gifts.

While the volume of the description of this event is relatively modest, the significance is major. A logical consideration of this story suggests several questions.

How dramatic was the appearance of this star?

How do three royal astrologers agree on the importance of this sighting?

How is it that these three wise men agree on the need to make the journey?

What convinces them that they should bring valuable gifts?

It is fairly easy to conclude that something of great importance was happening – something that would change the world.

The birth of Jesus Christ.