Have you ever experienced a miracle?
In June 2017 I joined a book club, hosted by a friend, and it has become one of the most stable social gatherings and investments in my life over the past several years.
As the youngest member of the group, I enjoy getting to know the other women and listening to their stories as they share about their careers, families, and lives. We gather once a month to discuss a book, eat a fabulous meal, and often drink wine.
I really miss the days when we met in person, especially on someone's backyard patio in the summer or fall. But now we mostly connect online, as some members have moved and we face ever-changing Covid protocols.
Usually when I talk about my book club, many friends proclaim, “I want to be in a book club!” Well you can. Just find a couple of friends, choose a book, use your local library, and be committed. A book club can easily fall apart if you aren’t committed to gathering. Our book club isn’t always committed to the books we read––but we usually are committed to gathering with each other.
Except for 2021. I think I read about 3 out of 12 books and missed several gatherings. Pregnancy really threw a wrench in my ability to read and gather.
Miracles
Anyways, this past month we read Miracles by Eric Metaxas. We decided that we needed something encouraging to read and we usually like to mix up reading nonfiction and fiction. I’ll admit that I was terribly biased against Metaxas because I had seen him at the Q Ideas Conference a couple of years ago defending why he supported Trump… (insert eyeroll). Even though it was fruitful to listen to his point of view and try to understand it. Apparently his Dietrich Bonhoeffer book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is amazing, so I tried to have an open mind about Miracles.
It was fairly good. I would recommend it if you’re interested in the topic. It has a good balance of content about science, our world, apologetics, big questions about God, and a variety of miracle stories. I’ll admit I skipped a lot of the first half to jump to the stories, but I ended up circling back to finish it and didn’t regret it.
Metaxas admits there is no concrete definition of a “miracle”. It’s extremely subjective. Webster’s dictionary describes it as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.” A miracle is when the divine (God) intervenes on earth and in our human lives.
Metaxas writes, “it is when something outside time and space enters time and space, whether just to wink at us or poke at us briefly, or to come and dwell among us for three decades [ie. Jesus].” (p.11-12)
It got me thinking: have I ever experienced a miracle from God?
I have actually. Several.
One prominent one involved several close people in my life that I can’t write or share about here. But another I can, it was a car accident I was in––the summer of 2017.
A saving voice from God
I was driving home from a week away visiting some ministry partners in eastern Ontario. I had an incredible week, filled with refreshing visits, friends, and experiencing the rest and presence of God. I was having such a good time I was feeling lazy and put off leaving at a reasonable time. By the time I got on the road to make the 5hr drive home, it was late and I was feeling quite tired and restless to get home.
If you’ve ever driven on the 401 highway in Ontario you know that it can be really crazy. Especially east of Toronto––on the open roads I’ve seen cars go over 140km/h. I mean, the speed limit says 100km/h, and most people drive around 110-120km/h, give or take.
I was anxious to get home and tired of being on the road. Since the roads were getting quite busy I thought I would save myself a few extra minutes by pushing through and not stopping like normal at an ONroute (roadside stop in Ontario).
I was driving in the fast lane and quite suddenly the road was full of cars. All of a sudden the car in front of me started to stop and I didn’t have enough time or space to slow down. In my tired state I probably started breaking a few seconds too late.
I slammed my foot on the break and braced for impact as I hit the car in front of me (their rear left corner), and then drove straight into the concrete median. I bounced off and then hit the car a second time before I stopped.
While I was trying to break in that split second when time stands still and I wasn’t aware of anything going on around me, all I could hear in my mind was a voice saying, “Your foot isn’t on the brake. Get your foot on the break.” In my panic to break, my foot actually slipped off the pedal. I scrambled to break again, thus limiting the impact of my crash in the concrete wall. Another thought was in my mind, “The airbag didn’t go off”.
God’s grace in the aftermath
The entire front of my brand new rental car (I know, sad), was crunched in. I couldn’t open my door to exit. The man I hit was so mad at me, but he needed to help open the door for me to even get out.
In the crash, the airbags didn’t go off, and I didn’t even have any whiplash (even hours later as the adrenaline wore off I didn’t have any pain or discomfort). I’m thankful the airbags didn’t go off because I think they would have caused more damage.
The car driving behind me pulled over: it was an off-duty police officer who called 911 for us. I’m so grateful because I honestly didn’t even know which city we were closest to. The police officer who arrived on scene was incredibly kind and helpful. Even though I was at fault, I didn’t receive any demerit points.
It turns out the reason the traffic slowed down so suddenly was due to another accident farther up. My crash was seen as a casualty of the first one, and as my record was clear I was given so much grace. (In light of everything I’m learning about racial inequality in my country, I don’t take for granted the officer’s response to me may also have been influenced by my skin colour. I wonder if the officer would have responded the same way if I looked different.)
The first call I made when I got out of the car was to my company: they handled all the paperwork, and as soon as I was able, got me in a taxi with my stuff so I could finally get home. I was so thankful.
There were consequences to my accident though: some anxiety around driving that popped up about 5 months afterwards I needed to work through.
I see in the circumstance around my accident how God was present and active. I see how he intervened to preserve my life, limit my suffering, and protect me.
I heard his voice telling me exactly what I needed to do in the exact moment to save my life.
The airbag wasn’t triggered to go off.
I didn’t have any whiplash.
I had no physical injuries or lasting impact.
The accident was covered by my company’s insurance.
The driver behind me was an off-duty police officer who could respond immediately and help.
Have you experienced a miracle?
You may hear this story and think this does not sound like a miracle. That’s okay. To me it was. To me it was God personally intervening and protecting my life.
You may have your own stories come to mind. Of miracles and times God entered your human world.
You may have stories of times you prayed and hoped for a miracle but God didn’t answer or respond. The mercy he offered you wasn’t the mercy you hoped for.
I really recommend reading (or listening to on audiobook) Miracles by Metaxas. It may help you consider events and ways God has worked in your life. It may answer questions you have about the world, science, faith, and how God works.
If you have your own miracle story, write it down, share it with a friend, or even pray and thank God for how he demonstrated his love/power/glory in your life. Ultimately miracles should always point us back to him.