These are days of miracles and wonders
Shining character matters more than bright teeth
Tyrell Dueck’s fate is back in the hands of God. Not that it was ever really anywhere else, but at least the soft-spoken 13-year-old with the gentle smile won’t be forced to undergo chemotherapy and have his leg amputated. Unless God intervenes with a healing miracle or alternative therapies work wondrous magic, however, a rare cancer is expected to claim his life within a year.
For a riveting three weeks in March, Dueck’s struggle to determine his own course of treatment surfaced a host of legal, ethical and religious issues and captured the attention of the national press. And flitting about the fringes of the debate was the matter of faith and the prospect of divine healing.
If ever there was a candidate for a miracle, Dueck fits the bill. His personal courage, gracious manner and stalwart faith stood up well under pressure. But before bad news of spreading cancer halted the proceedings, professionals had determined that conventional treatment was in young Tyrell’s best interests, notwithstanding his apparent belief that he will be healed by God.
Divine dentistry?
Wonders and miracles of a rather lesser order are being reported once again at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, where notions of divine dentistry are raising quite a buzz. "Why should God fill people’s teeth with gold?" asks a TACF press release. The proffered answers are vague. "Perhaps because he loves them and delights in blessing his children. Perhaps it is a sign and a wonder to expose the skepticism still in so many of us. Perhaps his glory and presence are drawing near."
Perhaps. But this latest expression of the Toronto Blessing seems a trivial pursuit. Certainly the prospect of receiving physical and material benefits appeals powerfully to our human nature and no doubt God understands that these things are very important to us. At times he is even willing to indulge us. But other things matter more.
Viola Pahl, a polio survivor who uses crutches or a wheelchair, recently shared a story of an incident that occurred when she and her preacher husband wandered into an unfamiliar church in a vacation spot. As the meeting progressed she sensed she would be invited to throw away the crutches. Sure enough, as she was filing out after the service the preacher patted her shoulder and said, "Sister, God did not intend for you to have crutches." Her reply spilled out spontaneously. "Sir, I perceive you are wearing glasses. You have a crutch for your eyes; I have crutches for my legs." And without further ado she sailed past him.
Pahl, who has written a book called Through the Iron Lung, understands all too well that some infirmities are more major and limiting than others. And she does not disallow the possibility of miraculous divine healing. But she has some perspective to offer as well. "God has wrought many miracles in my life–courage, acceptance, contentment, faith in the sovereign will of God and so on. How come no one heralds these things as miracles? Given my basic personality, I would never have made it with my physical infirmity without the great miracles God has done in and through my life."
The ability to honor God with obedience and unwavering belief in adversity–to allow one’s very character to be truly transformed–is an act of faith and worship. Earlier this decade, tennis great Arthur Ashe (who was also highly respected for his courage and grace as a social activist) revealed to the world that he had AIDS (almost surely acquired through contaminated blood). In his 1993 autobiography, Days of Grace, Ashe addressed the question of how to pray in the face of a disease.
"If I don’t ask ‘why me?’ after my victories, I cannot ask ‘why me?’ after my setbacks and disasters," he wrote. "I also do not waste time pleading with God to make me well. I was brought up to believe that prayer is not to be invoked to ask God for things for oneself or even for others. Rather, prayer is a medium through which I ask God to show me God’s will, and to give me the strength to carry out that will."
Whether God can or cannot, will or will not, perform miracles is not really the issue. Rather, we might ask what kind of wonders mature Christians should be looking for. We can rejoice in every miracle of authentic healing that takes place. In the end, however, shining character matters more than bright teeth and a healthy relationship with God matters more than a healthy body.
Doug Koop
Editor