Christmas celebrates one of the greatest miracles of all time – God becoming man – but should we reliably believe in miracles and can they be the result of our prayers? Retired priest, John Clarke, investigates

Do you believe God answers prayer in a miraculous way? Most Christians would say that God answers their prayers, even if they go through dry patches. Prayer, of course, is more than presenting God with our ‘wish list’. It involves trying to listen to what God is saying and building our relationship with him. But a God who never answered our prayers would not be the God of the Bible. “Ask, and you will receive.”

But what about the miraculous bit?

Interfering with nature

A useful definition of ‘miracle’ is given by the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume: “A violation of natural laws.” Some writers distinguish between answers to prayer which appear to involve a temporary change in the laws of nature, such as a miraculous healing, and those for which it is the timing which is remarkable. But is the distinction between miracles and divine coincidences valid?… (Register to read the whole article)