I struggle with the concept of miracles. Or, at least, with the concept of direct divine intervention. Most of the arguments I’ve heard both for and against have felt like they go too far in their respective directions. To completely deny the existence of spiritual guidance, intervention, and warfare comes in conflict with the Bible. Yet, frequently the arguments for these things seem to take the other extreme path of attributing every small occurrence in our daily lives to them. This seems self aggrandizing to me at best. So my one line summary of my personal belief in miracles is that they did and do occur, that the “classification” of what is and isn’t a miracle lies outside to scope of human understanding, and that we tend to be too quick to use the word thus rending it somewhat mundane and trivial.
Because this can be such a murky theological topic, I tend to do a lot of reading on the subject. Real Life Real Miracles turned out not only to be a truly unique book in its field, but also a riveting read.
From the synopsis, I knew that the book was based on real life events that defied rational explanation. However, I expected the stories to be framed with expose and Biblical examples of miracles. Aside from a short prologue and epilogue, Real Life Real Miracles is a collection of individual stories that stand on their own. The authors never step in to make a point or to draw the reader’s attention to certain detail. You can almost hear a drawling voice saying, “The facts, ma’am. Just the facts.” And it really works.
By presenting these stories unbiasedly, the authors have left readers free to draw their own conclusions. This is a powerful twist as it leaves the book free to appeal to many people who might have differing opinions on the subject. And I think that there is something about stories like these that really resonate with other Christians even apart from the subject of miracles. We tend to be living lives other people around us don’t get. I loved stories like the one about a seven year old boy whose brain tumor disappeared. His father accepted the miracle and was champing at the bit to move on with life while the doctors were running test and trying like crazy to find something else wrong with the boy, something that could explain away the unbelievable.
What I walked away from this book with was a reaffirmation of what I already believe. That Christians can find in within themselves to accept the impossible because we believe in a God who doesn’t have human limitations and specializes in what we see as impossible. That whether or not you want to label such things as miracles, there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit does guide and shelter even in today’s world. That the Bible isn’t a closed book, but part of an ongoing saga we are participants in. While that’s what I took away from Real Life Real Miracles, it is the kind of book that can reach out to many on an individual level. So if you’re looking for something besides affirmation, don’t assume that’s all the book can offer. I would suggest that this book is probably best suited for highschool and up as some of the stories might be too intense for children. Otherwise, I could definitely see this book as part of family devotional. The stories are short and would provide excellent opportunities for discussion.
My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for sending me a review copy of Real Life Real Miracles, in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.