Miracles Redefined: Experiencing the Divine in Everyday Life

I鈥檝e been interested in the topic of miracles for as long as I can remember鈥攚hat they are and under what circumstances they happen.

As a Christian Scientist, the power of God to heal has always been a cornerstone of my religious faith and I鈥檝e been blessed on several occasions to experience this power firsthand. That hasn鈥檛 stopped me from being interested in the healing experiences of other traditions, though鈥攚hether it be the intensely vetted miracles that have happened at Lourdes since at least 1858, or the spontaneous recoveries that are sometimes reported by evangelical Christians at their revivals. It鈥檚 fair to say that today, an increasing number of Christian denominations鈥攁nd perhaps people from other religious traditions, too鈥攁re open to the healing power of the divine.

What is a miracle? Merriam-Webster defines it as 鈥渁n extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.鈥� Many faiths would agree: miracles are supernatural in nature, and they鈥檙e typically seen as rare instances where God chooses to momentarily set aside natural law for the benefit of the miracle recipient. Why they happen to some people and not others? It鈥檚 hard to know.

Christian Science takes a different perspective, and it鈥檚 notable that Merriam-Webster鈥檚 third definition is specific to Christian Science: 鈥淎 divinely natural phenomenon experienced humanly as the fulfillment of spiritual law.鈥�

顿颈惫颈苍别濒测听natural? Spiritual听law?

What gives?

鈥淢iracles do not happen in contradiction to nature, but only in contradiction to that which is known to us in nature,鈥� wrote St. Augustine.

Mary Baker Eddy鈥攖he discoverer and founder of Christian Science鈥攁lso believed that miracles are natural. They鈥檙e just not widely understood.听鈥淭he scientific manifestation of power is from the divine nature and is not supernatural, since Science is an explication of nature,鈥� she wrote in听Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

Interestingly enough, Harvard medical doctor Jeffrey Rediger鈥攚ho has been investigating 鈥渕iracle鈥� cases for more than fifteen years鈥攚rote this in a 2016听Washington Post听editorial: 鈥淢iracles only contradict what we know of nature at this point in time 鈥� I believe that miracles are actually consistent with mental and spiritual laws that we are only beginning to study.鈥�

One 鈥渕iracle鈥� experience that鈥檚 meant a lot to me was published in the听Christian Science Journal听by Lona Ingwerson in September 2014. Her family鈥檚 home was caught in a wildfire as Laguna Beach, California, burned in 1993. Whipped by gusty winds, the fire was moving at 160 kilometres an hour and consuming homes every few seconds. Yet these words kept playing in Lona鈥檚 mind, even as her family was evacuated to a nearby town: 鈥淭he flame shall not hurt thee.鈥� Lona recalled praying to ward off feelings of discouragement, since they believed their home was already lost.

The next morning brought a surprise, when a news channel showed a picture of their house standing alone amidst the wreckage. When asked about what had happened, the local fire chief stated he 鈥渃ould not discount divine intervention鈥� due to the speed of the fire and because it had actually touched the house. Her family was humbled to realize that it was the prayers of their worldwide church family that had stopped the flames.

We鈥檝e all felt evil鈥檚 flames at our doorstep at one time or another, but I听firmly believe the God I worship is the same God people from other faith traditions worship. Every time I hear of a 鈥渕iraculous鈥� experience it reminds me that every one of us鈥攊f we turn humbly and faithfully to God鈥攈as the potential to walk on holy ground.

Miracles Redefined: Experiencing the Divine in Everyday Life Matt Jackson听has been fascinated by how science and religion relate to each other for as long as he can remember. He is a member of the Christian Science church in Victoria, BC, and has been a professional writer and editor for 22 years.