Why does God heal one and not the other? Why do Christians divide over things we cannot explain away? Some believe God always heals, while others hold fast to the thought that He never does.
Yes, it’s true, some have tried to manufacture miracles for their own personal gain, but have we allowed this small remnant of people to jade us out of ever believing God for more? Have we become so skeptical of people that we’re no longer expectant of what God might do in our midst?
Recently on Middays, I spoke with former atheist and investigative journalist, Lee Strobel about his book, . This was one of the most important interviews I’ve done in a long time.
Lee is meticulous in his research and diligent to rightly steward others’ stories. His book is filled with unexplainable stories of healing and restoration. I asked Lee if he noticed a common denominator in those who received their healing. The one thing that stood out to him was that none of them knew why they were healed and why others weren’t. And, all of them, amidst their trial, had kept their hearts tender, humble, and teachable before God. They had a sense that healing was still a possibility.
My own son was miraculously healed of a serious back injury over ten years ago. A medical miracle; doctors couldn’t explain it, but we were changed by it. No one will ever be able to convince me that God no longer moves in this way because we’ve seen it with our own eyes. Still, you can’t build your theology around one experience. However, when you read one documented story after another, many of which have been scientifically verified, you have to at least admit that God consistently moves in ways that man cannot explain away.
Lee said something else that stopped me in my tracks. He said that many churches are so closed to the idea of God’s divine intervention in their services, that they could continue on with their service whether God showed up or not. What a sobering thought!
Have we made an idol out of our respectability? I wonder if we cherish our reputation more than we love the idea of God’s intervention. What if we took our white-knuckle grip off of our polished presentation and asked God to heal in our midst? What if the depressed were suddenly delivered? And the sick, suddenly healed? What if God interrupted our perfectly groomed schedule to take care of the hurting in our midst? Are we open to such an interruption? I pray so.
Are we willing to err on the side of faith and then live with the mystery of why God heals one and not the other? Such a posture requires a humble, expectant and un-offendable heart. When John the Baptist found himself in prison and started to doubt what he knew to be true, he sent friends to Jesus to ask Him a question: Are you the Christ? Or should we be looking for someone else?
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Luke 7:22-23)
What if we dared to believe that Jesus is still tending to broken hearts and lives? What if we dared to believe that miracles still happen in our day?
The case for miracles
