Why doesn't God perform a spectacular
miracle and prove himself?
Q: "Why are there no clearly visible miracles today that
shout--without a shadow of a doubt--to everyone in the world: 'There is a God!'?"
our A: Many of us want strong, even overwhelming reasons to believe in
God. Some people believe in God's existence because of strong
factual and philosophical reasons (some presented in the section
The Existence). Others believe in God because of
answered prayer, direction he has given them in life, or ways
that God has changed their life.
But why doesn't God just exhibit himself in such a blatant way
that people would HAVE to believe he exists? A good answer is
presented by Philip Yancey in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew
(particularly pp. 74-80).
Yancey points out that God has given us the freedom to believe in
him or not. And he says, "My faith suffers from too much freedom,
too many temptations to disbelieve. At times I want God to
overwhelm me, to overcome my doubts with certainty, to give final
proofs of his existence and his concern. I want a God without
ambiguity, One to whom I can point for the sake of my doubting
friends." But then he says, "The more I get to know Jesus, the
more impressed I am by what [Dostoevsky] calls the miracle of
restraint."
Jesus could have performed such large, spectacular miracles that
people would have to believe in him. He could have healed entire
towns with one mass proclamation. He could have instantly set the
entire present day Michigan Avenue of Chicago right before them.
Or he could have done a number of other breath-taking miracles
where people would be forced to believe in him. But God always
upholds the free will he created us to have.
Yancey says, "More amazing is his refusal to perform and to
overwhelm. God's terrible insistence on human freedom is so
absolute that he granted us the power to live as though he did
not exist, to spit in his face, to crucify him. I believe God
insists on such restraint because no pyrotechnic displays of
omnipotence will achieve the response he desires. Although power
can force obedience, only love can summon a response of love,
which is the one thing God wants from us and the reason he
created us."
If God really displayed his power in an overwhelming manner, he
could force us to believe in him. He could easily force us to
obey him. He could command anything he wanted. But what God wants
is for us to know him as our Father, Friend, Comforter, Counselor,
Lord -- willingly, not under compulsion.
He has given us more than ample reason to believe in him (e.g.,
see Beyond Blind Faith). But he doesn't force us to
know him. Even as Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at
the door and knock; if any one opens the door, I will come into
him" (Revelation 3:20). He enters our lives at our permission.
And if we sincerely want to find out if he's there and what he is
like, he will allow us to find him and know him.
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How to begin a relationship with God
