Make Me A Miracle Worker

the secret sauce for miracles

(*TRIGGER WARNING: rape and shootings are mentioned in this post.  Please skip if those topics might trigger you in any way, shape, or form.)

I gave up on the miraculous for a few years.  Like, just flat out stopped believing that miracles are possible.  I've told the story a million times, but my wife and I had a miscarriage and I got so mad at God (SO MAD) that he would "allow" our baby to die or "will" for our baby to die or, whatever … and I just couldn't stomach the idea of a God who COULD do something miraculous to save a baby, but chose NOT to for whatever reason he might have.

So I gave up on them.

And then I came across Tom Oord and his "God Can't" theology and that sort of re-opened the door for me to the idea that miracles are (at the very least) possible.

They may not be frequent.

They may not happen in the way I used to THINK they happened.

There may not be a formula to make them happen.

BUT.

They can (and sometimes do!) happen, nonetheless. 

(QUICK NOTE: I'm not a theologian or a scholar … I'm just a normal, everyday guy trying to make sense of how to live my very visible life with a very invisible God.  The ideas I'm about to share are not necessarily Tom's ideas or anyone else's ideas … they are a combination of ideas I've picked up from many places, ideas that have come together to form my own thoughts and wonderings.  So … read at your own risk, HA!)

I've come to believe that God isn't an all-powerful, omnipotent being who snaps his fingers to make things happen. 

He's not a puppeteer.

He's not a magician.

He's not a vending machine.

… I don't think so, anyways.  I mean, how could he be?  Right?  In my understanding of things, God isn't and CAN'T be all-powerful because if he is. 

Well. 

Then that means that he CAN override his creation in order to do whatever he deems fit, whenever he sees fit to do it.

Right?

And this (obviously) isn't the definition of love - love doesn't overpower, love doesn't stomp on someone else's will, love doesn't force itself on anyone OR anything.

Instead, love partners with others and works with others to bring about a desired or hopeful result.

BOTH parties need to be working.

BOTH parties need to be active.

BOTH parties need to be on board.

In this understanding of things, then, God is always working on our behalf and is always using every bit of his power/ability/Divinity/whatever to bring about the best possible outcome, but sometimes the other party involved isn't cooperating or can't cooperate.

For instance.

Some cancerous cells aren't as responsive as other cancerous cells.

Most shooters aren't going to holster their weapons.

Most rapists aren't going to stop.

Ugh.

I hate saying this, but often times cancer, shooters, and rapists will continue on their path of destruction and harm with no intent (or ability) to cooperate with a Higher Power who is aiming to bring about the best possible outcome; and since cancer, shooters, and rapists don't/can't always cooperate, sometimes people pass away of cancer, sometimes mass causalities show up on the news at night, and sometimes people do get raped … and it sucks.

And so, these things happen …

NOT because God is absent.

NOT because God isn't powerful.

NOT because God doesn't care.

BUT.

Because God (who, John said, is love) can't override the will of his creation; and when creation's will isn't aligned with the Creator's will … well … even Jesus (says Mark in chapter 6 of his Gospel) couldn’t do some miracles, right?

Yes.

At the end of the day, there are just some things that  God "can't do" (take it up with Mark, he said it first!).

BUT.

That doesn't make the miraculous impossible, does it? 

Because …

Sometimes cancer responds to chemo.

A couple of weeks back in Colorado the Spirit moved a drag queen to literally stomp on an active shooter with her heels.

… You get the picture - terrible things happen and sometimes miracles happen; miracles are (for me) not 100% off the table.

And so these days I find myself continuing to pray for miracles to happen:

For the sick to be made well.

For the earth to stop burning.

For my daughter to be safe.

For my wife to fall in love with her new career.

For my parents to live long, happy lives.

… I pray for stuff to happen (some mundane, some miraculous) and I tell the Divine that I am ready, willing, and able to partner with them in any way that I can so as to bring about a result that is most desirable for all of us.

It's a simple equation, really:

God.

+

Me.

=

Miracle.

Perhaps this is the main message in the story of Jesus' birth … maybe?  Because in the nativity story you have God who wanted a Savior to be born and you have Mary who was a willing vessel and so when those 2 willing parties came together (one fully Divine and one fully human), the miraculous God-(hu)man (Jesus) was birthed.

And so maybe willingness is the key to birthing the miraculous.  Maybe that's the secret sauce?  And maybe even though I can't force cancer cells and shooters and rapists to willingly work with the Divine, I (Glenn) can choose to willingly work with the Divine and be a miracle worker in my own small corner of the world.

"Make me a miracle worker", God.  That has been my prayer these days.  "I am with you, I am for you.  I want what you want - I want good for every person, everywhere.  And I will do my best (with whatever means I have) to take your hand and … follow your lead."

It's not a perfect theology, I know.  And it's not a perfect formula, I realize. 

BUT.

It's where I am … today, anyways.

Much love,

• Glenn || MY BOOK || PATREON || BUY ME A COFFEE