Eric Metaxas, one of today's great communicators of big ideas, wants you to believe in miracles. In Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life, Metaxas talks about miracles in the Bible, but spends most of the book talking about miracles in the lives of people he knows today.
With his trademark clarity and wit, Metaxas considers the question of miracles from a natural and biblical perspective. Miracles in the biblical account differ, he argues, from myths in other traditions. Readers can be confident that the biblical accounts are not only accurate but are not unique to biblical times.
The second half of the book contains numerous stories of modern-day miracles, mostly involving people personally known to Metaxas. While most of think of miracles in terms of healing or provision, Eric points out that they are much broader than that. He starts with the miracle of conversion. I have to agree with him, that when you see someone's life truly changed, it's nothing short of a miracle. He recounts some healing miracles, but is sure to include miracles of inner healing as well.
His stories inspire and challenge us to look for that which is beyond our everyday experience. These are moments in which God reaches in and touches our lives in out-of-the-ordinary ways. Sometimes the miracle is specifically sought and asked for. At other times, though, it's an un-sought-after event. I wish he would have addressed those times we all experience when we need a miracle and earnestly implore God but no miracle occurs. While this question always lurks behind stories of miracles (That's cool that God healed her, but what about him?), it doesn't, or shouldn't, take away from those times when God does intervene. Thanks to Metaxas for reminding us to look to God and celebrate those times that he touches our lives.
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