|
|
The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
|
a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
|
|
|
|
|
June 2006 |
|||
|
|
||||
It was a miracleChris Thiele muses on recent events that have had a profound impact on many people at Beaconsfield. It is interesting to note that it is the miners, mine management, family and others who were declaring that it was a miracle that Todd and Brant survived. Like some theologians I too struggled with Christians’ declaring it to be a miracle on the Sunday night that Todd and Brant were found alive. I asked the question of many of them, ‘What about Larry?’ I struggle with comments make by some Christians like: ‘Sometimes we bother God with trivialities such as wanting ... a nice job.’ I would encourage every Christian to submit all of their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The first question I get all young adults to ask is, ‘Where does God want me?’ It is essential that this is submitted to God, that we bother him on a daily basis. That we ask Him for that ‘right’ or ‘nice’ job. Does God perform miracles today?Absolutely! Why doesn’t he perform them for everyone? Why are some people healed and others are not? These and many other questions are deep questions I struggle with. But because I do not have a satisfactory answer I do not therefore conclude that God does not perform miracles; or try and explain away miracles because it doesn’t provide answers to the difficult questions like, ‘What about Larry Knight?’ Why doesn’t God heal everyone? I don’t know, but I will continue to pray for people in need and will continue to expect to see miracles. I was present when the Coroner spoke to all three families, just after the body of Larry Knight had been found but not yet identified. He informed all three families that there was no chance that anyone would be alive because of the quantity of rock that had fallen. I was there when the shift boss who witnessed the rock fall, visited the families and told them just how much rock had fallen, that there was no chance of survival. In the midst of this knowledge, I, like many others thought, that all three were dead. Yet when I prayed with some of the women from one of the families I suddenly felt compelled to pray for a miracle for the two that had not yet been found. I even felt guilty praying the prayer because I was offering false hope. Yet the spirit of God compelled me to pray that way. There were two other significant events that convinced the families that they were both alive. I was still the doubting Thomas, after all, I now knew the geologist’s report. Early Sunday evening, the first person the family rang to let know that they were alive was me. They screamed and screamed, ‘It’s a miracle! It’s a miracle!’ Was it a miracle?I, along with miners, family, mine management etc declare: ‘Yes it was!’ However, I definitely agree with the greatest of all miracles – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope that this brings to Christians.
|
|
|||
