On Miracles

I grew up Baptist. And, as Baptists, we prayed. Some. And the prayers were often measured and metered. Don’t pray for the miraculous healing of a sickness, pray for God to give the surgeon wisdom. Don’t pray for the miraculous provision for fish and loaves, pray for the meal and “the hands that prepared it.” (My church was great and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to grow up in that congregation.)

But I would argue that both are a prayer for the miraculous.

If you ask for the Lord to transform a falling leaf into a feather, or if you ask Him to move that leaf a millimeter, it’s still a miracle. A request to altar reality is a request for a miracle. Any appeal for a divergence from the status quo is a request for the miraculous. And that request moves you into the arena of the supernatural. If you ask Him to heal a sickness miraculously, or for Him to grow in you a new attitude. Miracles, every one.

If you ask for .05% or 500%, you’re making a request to God to alter reality. Why is the .05% not seen as a miracle? Since prayer is a request to change reality, why not ask for the 500%? (In my Baptist church, we didn’t always think this way.)

Even the request to change my attitude is a request to change reality. And is the growth of a new attitude less miraculous than a healed sickness? You’ve probably encountered attitudes in yourself that look just as impossible as a healed sickness.

What are you asking for today that looks impossible? And do you avoid asking because it sounds ridiculous? Do you avoid asking because it’s too much? And, if the prayer is not answered that you’ll face disappointment?

Today’s a great day to ask. Why not ask for both and all? Ask for the .05% and the 500%.

Amazing photo by https://unsplash.com/@jontyson