Do You Believe?

         "Miracles are not contrary to nature but only contrary to what we know about nature."
                                                                                                                  Augustine, bishop of Hippo


     An amazing thing happened to our family this week. To explain, I have to backtrack in time a bit. About three and one half years ago, our son, Alex showed us a picture of a beautiful Siberian husky puppy. We had not planned on getting a pet, but one look into the ice blue eyes of this puppy was enough to melt each one of our hearts. We learned that it was possible to fall in love even through a picture on a cell phone!
     That night, Rush became a central part of our family. He was playful and adventurous and had the sweetest temperament any of us had ever seen. In one nanosecond, Rush had succeeded in completely taking over our hearts and our home.
     Rush was primarily an outdoor dog. There was nothing he loved more than running and chasing whatever small prey that had had the audacity to encroach upon his terrain. And yet, he was also cuddly and sweet and adored having his belly scratched.
     We got an electric fence in our backyard to give him more room to run and explore. Despite the fact that Rush had been trained to not get close to the boundary of the electric fence, he quickly learned how to get just close enough to wear the battery down in his collar without getting shocked. He knew the battery was dead when it did not beep and twice he had escaped by this method. The electric fence company informed us that Rush would have to have two collars if we wanted to avoid future exploits beyond the fence. Two it is.
     Approximately sixteen months ago, Alex and his sweet new wife, Ellen moved out to Phoenix. During this transition, not enough attention was paid to the two batteries in Rush's collars. Somehow, the batteries in both collars had died and Rush jumped at the opportunity to run again. It is said that male siberian huskies act as if they have attention deficit disorder, as they are easily distracted by the next flower or bunny or anything else they may see. Therefore, it is easy for them to get lost, and so he did.
     We looked and looked and looked. We went to the pound and called our Veternarian and posted signs. We searched and searched and searched. After several weeks had passed, we began to imagine the worst case scenarios. Rush had never been missing for more that a few hours.
     In the midst of our searching, we also prayed. We prayed for his safety and that God would take care of him. Every member of our family (from the youngest to the oldest) petitioned God to bring Rush home. 
     A few months later, I had a dream that Rush came home. And then, Brent had an identical dream. And yet, there was still no tangible sign that he was even alive.
     Then the phone rang. It was our veterinarian. Someone in Smyrna had found Rush as he was out walking his dog. One of his neighbors was a veterinarian and he asked him to scan Rush to see if he had had a microchip. He did! Our veterinarian gave us the phone number of the man who found him and he told us we could come pick him up.
     Nervously and excitedly, Brent drove to Smyrna. After sixteen months we had no idea in what kind of condition we might find Rush. Brent rang the doorbell and Rush was sitting right in front of him. He stuck out his right paw for Brent to shake. Then he stuck out his left paw. After a proper greeting, Rush promptly rolled onto his back for his belly to be scratched. These were all the things we had taught him to do! He remembered!
     It was quickly obvious that someone had been taking good care of him. He was well fed and groomed and had a harness on that was not ours. When he got home it was also obvious that he had been house-broken because he behaved like a perfect gentleman. It appeared that after sixteen months our dog had been returned to us in perfect condition. Coincidence? I think not!
     We believe that God answered every single prayer that was uttered on Rush's behalf. We also believe that God gave both Brent and I dreams to confirm that Rush would come home. (These dreams occurred months before his homecoming). We also believe that God must have orchestrated many events to facilitate his return.
     Would this be considered a miracle? We think so. A miracle is defined as "An unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God". Our faith and prayers are powerful because they are entrusted to the One who has the unique claim to all authority in heaven and earth. Matthew 17:20 tells us that if we "have faith as small as a mustard seed we can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move."
     God cares about the tiniest details of our lives. He is the God of reclamation, restoration, renewal, and recovery. There is nothing lost or broken in our lives in which God is not deeply concerned. He is a loving Father that hears and sees and deeply loves...
     Most believers would never dispute the fact that God is able to perform miracles. We know that Jesus' ministry showcased this phenomena. C.S. Lewis classified the miracles of Jesus as follows:
miracles of fertility, miracles of healing, miracles of destruction, miracles of dominion, miracles of reversal, and miracles of glorification.  He states that, "Each miracle writes for us in small letters something that God has already written, or will write, in letters almost too large to be noticed, across the whole canvas of nature."
     Since the Age of Enlightenment, many feel that miracles need to be rationalized. The twentieth century Christians that openly justified miracles are: C.S Lewis, Norman Geisler, and William Lane Craig.  Particular denominations, such as Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics have always maintained that God does still perform miracles today.
     I believe the Bible clearly outlines that miracles continue to exist in our world. After Jesus returned to heaven, the book of Acts records the disciples praying to God to grant miracles to be done in His Name for the purpose of convincing onlookers that He is alive. They also acknowledged the hostility of the times in which they were living. They prayed, "'Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your Word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the Name of  your holy servant Jesus.'  After they prayed, the place they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly."
     The day that Jesus was resurrected was not the complete fulfillment of God's promises. That occurred at Pentecost (Acts 2: 1-4). This is when the Resurrected Christ became the Glorified Christ and God poured out His Holy Spirit on the earth.
     God also promised that He will pour out His Holy Spirit on the earth again. Acts 2:17-21 tells us,
"' In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in these days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.'"
     Seeing God move on our behalf is a glorious thing! The only negative thing about a miracle is the fact that you need one in the first place. Most of us are far more comfortable in not needing one. From our families' perspective, time and time again we have found ourselves in need of a miracle. Something that only God could accomplish. He has never failed us yet. We have seen God move in our lives in extraordinary ways on multiple occasions.
     I also believe we are living in a unique time and chronology of human history. I believe that God is yearning to make Himself known in the midst of a chaotic world. He is both willing and able to pull out all the stops with signs, wonders, and miracles in our lives. The only prerequisite is that God needs a people who will believe.... Do you believe?


"What if the half-truth of the desire for something beyond us could meet up with the half-truth of the desire for only what is really real and true, which we know and see and touch in this world too? What if those two halves could touch and become the one true truth we were both looking for?"
                                                                                                                      Eric Metaxas,  Miracles