By Evangelist John BJ Hall
Not long ago I was involved in a discussion about miracles. Some of those involved believed in miracles, and some did not. One went so far as to say, “Miracles require the rearrangement of molecules.” He said, “There are no medical miracles. ALL so-called medical miracles are merely the result of medical science.” He concluded his thoughts with these words, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen, therefore anyone who claims to have seen a miracle is no longer a person of faith.”
What was my response to that statement? That is the most ridiculous argument against miracles that I have ever heard in my life. Let’s unpack his statement one issue at a time. First, he said, “Miracles require the rearrangement of molecules.” Where do you find that in the Bible? A more accurate statement about what constitutes a miracle would be: God would have to intervene in this world and suspend the laws of nature for there to be a miracle. I don’t see anywhere in scripture that says that He can’t do that.
Was it a miracle or not when Sarah conceived in her old age and bore a son God had promised? Let’s bring it a little closer to our time. Was it a miracle when Elizabeth conceived in her old age, having been barren for her entire life? Or do we say these women were not people of faith because they saw these miracles?
I’ve got one even closer to home. July 4, 1976, was a day that defined miracles for our family. It was on a Sunday. My wife’s parents were coming to our house for dinner. We didn’t have a lot of pots and pans, so she used a Presto Cooker to cook some corn on the cob. She had removed the weighted valve so pressure would not build up. But when she reached to take it off the stove, it blew up, spewing superheated water, steam, and food on her. She had 3rd-degree burns over 30% of her body. Her polyester clothes were melting into her flesh.
She was taken by ambulance from Craig General Hospital, Vinita, Oklahoma to Hillcrest Burn Center in Tulsa. This burn center was at the time acclaimed to be one of the top four burn units in the nation. These doctors and nurses were not novices, but the best and most experienced money could buy. In the triage room, the doctors examined her, taking pictures for documentation.
The doctor came out to speak with me. He said, “Connie is going to be in the Critical Room for three weeks and in the burn center for three months. She will have to have extensive grafting. Time: 2:00 pm July 4th.
At 3:00 pm the deacons from Adair First Baptist Church, where I had just resigned as their pastor, were standing in that same waiting room praying for God’s will to be done in her life.
At 4:00 pm the Webbers Falls First Baptist Church deacons, were standing in the waiting room praying for us in the same way.
Tuesday, July 6th at 8:00 am the doctor came out and seemed puzzled. He said, “We don’t know what is going on here. We have gone back over our initial findings and they were correct. But your wife ready to come out of the Critical Room this morning. However, she will still be in the Burn Center for three months so we can do the grafting that will be necessary.”
Thursday, July 8th at 8:00 am he returned to the waiting room. He said, “Mr. Hall, We can’t explain this. We have reviewed our initial findings. They were correct. We have gone back over the review that was done on Tuesday. It was also correct.” He stopped, took a breath and said, “This is not possible, but your wife is ready to go home today.” I said, “Thank you Doc.” He said, “She will need to come into my office in one week so that we can schedule grafting that will be needed. But we can do that on an outpatient basis.”
We went to the doctor’s office on the following Thursday. After examining her he came out to the waiting room. In front of about twenty-five or thirty witnesses, he said, “Reverend Hall. There is no explanation for what I am about to say.” He then went over the whole litany and timeline for what had taken place. To which he added, “What I am telling you is not conceivable but your wife is not going to have to have grafting after all. We THINK she may have some scaring.”
I am telling you today, there is absolutely no scaring. She even got her freckles back.
Does that make me less a man of faith? No, I say it has increased my faith. I have seen with my own eyes what God can do. I don’t have to believe anyone else’s story of healing. I believe because I have seen.
The statement that if someone “claims to have seen a miracle they are no longer a person of faith” has no basis in scripture.
I suppose then that none of the Apostles were men of faith since they claimed to have seen miracles. Some of them had even been involved in miracles happening in their ministries. How about the people who saw the lame man walk or the mute speak or the blind see? What about their faith. Were they no longer men and women of faith? Peter walked on water, I would classify that as a miracle. Was he no longer a man of faith?
On the contrary. Several times in the Gospels Jesus said, “Thy faith hath made the whole,” or “Thy faith hath saved thee.”
Why would my wife have to endure the excruciating pain of 3rd-degree burns over 30% of her body? What would glorify God in this experience? During her time in the Burn Center, I had the opportunity to witness to a man whose son was scalded when he pulled a large banquet type coffee pot over on himself. This man, who had lost his larynx to cancer, accepted Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. Why? He had seen and heard all the things that were said in the Burn Center waiting room.
I am not in any way saying that God sent that burn into her life. What I am saying is that God used the healing of her burns to be a witness to the hurting family of a little boy. He used it to teach the doctor that he was not in charge. That God still is in control. He used it to witness to the patients and their families at the doctor’s office that God is faithful.
He used it to bolster the faith of both the church at Adair and the one at Webbers Falls. To show them that God is in control when we think things are helpless.
He can use this event to bolster your faith and encourage you if you are in need.