For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV)
The question came to me in an exchange of messages with an old friend. “Have you ever had a supernatural experience with God?” he asked.
Now this is like asking a golfer whether she has ever played St. Andrews, or Royal Melbourne, or Pebble Beach. That is, through our answer we reveal whether we have ever hit what is recognized as “the big time.”
Most people have been to church. Plenty have read the Bible or prayed. But this question takes us one step farther. Have we ever bumped up against the God who defies explanation?
To begin, we do well to define supernatural. Easily, this means something above or outside of natural processes, including human action. Most theologians would add that supernatural actions are those things done by God that humans cannot do for themselves. Using Jesus’ miracles as an example, this would include a broad range: healing blindness, calming the wind and the waves, changing water to wine, discerning the motives of those who questioned him. A doctor may cure blindness today, but not instantly. The wind and waves eventually calm themselves “naturally,” but not instantly upon the word of a man.
So most people would suggest that if you have seen such a miraculous occurrence—or likewise, if you have heard the voice of God speaking directly to you—then you have indeed had a supernatural experience with God. And they would be right.
But we cannot forget something even greater and more common than such miracles, and yet something equally supernatural. Actually, it is a group of “somethings”: salvation, justification, sanctification. These are the internal works of the Lord that we cannot muster for ourselves. We cannot save ourselves from the deadly consequences of our sin. We cannot stand just before God on our own. We cannot improve our sinful condition all the way to holiness. Only God can do these things in us, and thus all who are saved and walking in God’s kingdom have experienced the supernatural. That really is a wonder!
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Jeff Hopper
July 27, 2012
Copyright 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.