1 Nephi 11-12

(July 11, 2014)

                C. S. Lewis proposed the theory that any miraculous event could have likewise have been accomplished through natural means by a God who knows all things from the beginning (a true conclusion that I agree with).  This meant, to Professor Lewis, that each miracle that was and is performed is performed for a reason other than the end result.  A healing could be achieved through the body’s natural processes, and so forth.  So we should look to each miracle (and, by Professor Lewis’s definition, they are rare) and study to gain understanding of what this miracle was to teach us.

                After reading these chapters, I spent some time thinking of the healings that Christ performed.  If they were not performed because the leper needed cleansed, for example, but rather that each such miracle performed was for us to gain some understanding of the Kingdom of God, there is a wealth of knowledge that we can gain.  Like the leper, we can be cleansed even when we see no way to be cleansed.  Like the man born blind, our eyes can be open and we can see – even if we have never seen before.  Like the child struck with palsy, even when all seems hopeless Christ still provides us with hope.  Someday we will pick up our bed of suffering and carry it with us – glorifying His Name as we do so.

                In dark and hopeless times, His miracles provide hope because they show us what He can do.  The Lord, I trust, could reach down and in an instant put all my cares to rest, heal all of my wounds and calm my pained soul.  His touch could open my eyes, relieve me of the burdens of my mistakes, and even raise me from spiritual death.  I know this, and I know that He loves me.  This gives me faith to trust that if He is not interceding in my life in the way that I may want Him to, it is not because of powerlessness or lack of love.  It is, rather, that He sees He can achieve His purpose for me (and for those I love) without the need of resort to supernatural means.  That leaves only the question of whether I trust Him enough to allow Him to direct my life.