L.C. FOX-SMITH - 10/05/25: I read something this week that made me think that we don't have to prove God through rare natural events, victories on the battlefield or miraculous healings, and we don't have to explain or try to defend every mystery. Trying to prove God in this way can actually backfire. It’s a minefield to say - especially to nonbelievers - that, ‘God saved me from the earthquake’ when many others died or ‘God provided the victory for the allies during World War 2’ when thousands of Christians on the opposing side also suffered and died in terrible ways.
I’m wrestling with how God took sides in the past as He gave victory to Israel when they were obedient to Him. I don’t think I can say ‘He took sides’, though, but I’m not sure why yet. There’s a lot to learn! However, I think Joshua 5:13–14 is a good place to work from as it shows that God doesn’t simply take sides in human conflict. When Joshua asked the angel, ‘Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?’ the response was, ‘Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come.’ That suggests that the real question is whether we are on His side? If everyone followed Him and lived by His word, then maybe the wars would not occur in the first place!
It’s ok to say that we don’t know why something happened. God can act anytime, of course, but we can’t always say when or why, and attributing a victory or natural event to God is perhaps a product of our confirmation bias. It’s enough to thank God for His mercy, but we don’t have to pretend to understand why it came to us and not others.
Rather than looking for God’s hand in outward victories, we can seek His presence in the quiet changes within ourselves and others. God’s most powerful acts are not outward miracles but inward transformations that ripple into the lives of others. The transformations we see in others are miracles in themselves - we don’t need external proofs. As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight’, and I know that when nothing else works, faith provides the cure.