Which is the Greater?

"... has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" - Daniel 6:20

I believe in miracles. I believe that God is actively performing miracles of all magnitudes in our lives day-in and day-out. Sometimes these miraculous occurrances are so "out of the ordinary" that we sit up and take notice, exclaiming the wonders of His almighty hand. Other times, I would say the vast majority of times, the providence which continually covers and surrounds us goes quietly unnoticed.

Either way, God is there.

When I do my walking on Friday mornings it's my alone time with God. I like to go to the same place where the path is smoothe and paved, and I can pour my heart out to the Lord over all kinds of things. Most often I pray for my family and for those who have asked specifically for prayer in their lives. During these long walks I sometimes get to wondering about things, asking God to provide answers for my questions. A couple of months ago the thing that came to mind was this: "Which is the greater miracle... that God shut the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into that pit, or that the first century Christians, suffering under the persecution of crazed Roman emperors, never lost faith though being devoured by them?"

That question made me realize that God works in many different ways. Miracles abound, but whether or not we recognize them often depends on our preconceived idea of what the outcome should be. I haven't learned this completely yet, but the older I get, the more I understand the Romas 8:28 verse which says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." God's ways aren't always my ways, I must admit, but His ways are always good because He loves me and because His purpose for me is a higher purpose.

Back in early May as we were on our trip to California to see our youngest receive her Master's Degree, we got word that one of our pastors and his wife had been in a horrific car accident. By all accounts, they shouldn't have survived, but, thanks be to God, they suffered only minor injuries. The concensus all around was that God was really looking after them, sending His angels to protect them... and that's totally true. How else could they have virtually walked away from a thing like that?

But...

But, how many hundreds of times had they driven that stretch of I-10 from Fredericksburg to San Antonio without incident? Was God's mighty hand of protection on them only the day they had that terrible accident? Of course not. God was there, watching, protecting, each and every time. I ask, "Which was the greater miracle?

Growing up Lutheran, and Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) specifically, I've always been blessed with wonderful pastors who have helped me understand God's miracles, especially His greatest miracle... saving grace. Lutherans talk a lot about Law and Gospel. From confirmation instruction I know that the Law is most effective in its ability to show us our sin, and the Gospel is most effective in showing us our Savior. They work in tandem as a kind of two-step process, but they have the same end goal, to bring people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

When someone is living apart from God, without that saving relationship, the Law acts as a mirror, revealing our sin... it's a stark dose of reality. To an individual living in that dark, light-less world, the Law illuminates their need for a Savior. It can be an effective means of helping establish that wonderful, saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The Law can be life-changing and miraculous.

On the other hand we have the Gospel... the best news... that Jesus saves. To someone who realizes their need for a Savior, to all those individuals who already know they are sinful, who feel the weight of that sin pulling them down into the depths of the sea, the Gospel is a lifeline. It is the assurance that Jesus died for those sins, and that those sins are what can be drowned, never to resurface. The Gospel is life-changing and miraculous.

Hardened hearts need to hear the Law. Broken hearts need to hear the Gospel. I ask again, "Which is the greater miracle... that a hard heart is turned, or that a broken heart is rescued?"

Miracles. All miracles. Either way, God is there in the midst of our everyday lives... and in our lives every day. He holds both the universe and our own little worlds together. He keeps the sun shining and the earth turning. He keeps our hearts beating and our lungs inhaling. None of this could happen without Him.

Sometimes we are awakened to God's miraculous ways. Sometimes we are oblivious. Either way... God is there. Sometimes the mouths of the lions are shut in obedience to God, and sometimes our obedience to God remains unshaken, even as we face the lions.

"Which is the greater miracle?"

They both are.