Miracle Butterfly?

[~candice~]

I don't think we can say that every rare event is an act of God. So I'm asking why this is considered an act of God, when other rare events are "a freak of nature" etc. I just read an article about the high degree of superstition held by the Chilean miners.

[nebula]

If that had been you, would you be thanking God for the butterfly being there or would you be thanking a "freak of nature"?

[Guest man]

I just read an article about the high degree of superstition held by the Chilean miners.

He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

[~candice~]

I just read an article about the high degree of superstition held by the Chilean miners.

He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Yes He does, I'm just wondering what part of this makes people conclude it was God and not just a rare event. I'm not saying it isn't God, I just don't see anything concrete or conclusive.

[Guest man]

I just read an article about the high degree of superstition held by the Chilean miners.

He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Yes He does, I'm just wondering what part of this makes people conclude it was God and not just a rare event. I'm not saying it isn't God, I just don't see anything concrete or conclusive.

If you're looking for evidence of God's hand in this, you're not going to find it. If you wish to call it just a rare event, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

When I read stories like this, this is what comes to mind.

James 1

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

That butterfly distracted those miners just long enough to keep them from being buried alive. I don't know about you or anyone else, but I call that a good thing.

[Fez]

I have watched most of the miners come up over the last day or so. Some of it live, some not.

I have seen some of them fall on their knees and pray before they hugged family members or spoke to anyone.

One miner said there were 34 of us down there, not 33, and number 34 was God.

Can you not see God's hand in this entire thing? It has brought an entire nation together, and shown the rest of the world that there is hope in any situation, no matter how difficult.

The butterfly? God.

The rescue? God.

The faith to believe it was God? Jesus!

God, God, God.

God.

[~candice~]

I just read an article about the high degree of superstition held by the Chilean miners.

He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Yes He does, I'm just wondering what part of this makes people conclude it was God and not just a rare event. I'm not saying it isn't God, I just don't see anything concrete or conclusive.

If you're looking for evidence of God's hand in this, you're not going to find it. If you wish to call it just a rare event, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

When I read stories like this, this is what comes to mind.

James 1

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

That butterfly distracted those miners just long enough to keep them from being buried alive. I don't know about you or anyone else, but I call that a good thing.

Yep, it was a good thing, a great thing! And I agree we won't see evidence. I was merely trying to engage in a discussion about determining what is of God and what isn't.

I have watched most of the miners come up over the last day or so. Some of it live, some not.

I have seen some of them fall on their knees and pray before they hugged family members or spoke to anyone.

One miner said there were 34 of us down there, not 33, and number 34 was God.

Can you not see God's hand in this entire thing? It has brought an entire nation together, and shown the rest of the world that there is hope in any situation, no matter how difficult.

The butterfly? God.

The rescue? God.

The faith to believe it was God? Jesus!

God, God, God.

God.

Sure, God can use any event to draw people to Himself. But that's different from saying that He caused the event (the butterfly). I also read some miners give thanks to the Patron Saint of Miners, that isn't directly giving thanks to the Lord.

I don't want to be a sour puss, I think the butterfly is amazing, but the thread is a question, not a statement, and I was just probing for why people believe this was an act of God.

[Guest]

I have watched most of the miners come up over the last day or so. Some of it live, some not.

I have seen some of them fall on their knees and pray before they hugged family members or spoke to anyone.

One miner said there were 34 of us down there, not 33, and number 34 was God.

Can you not see God's hand in this entire thing? It has brought an entire nation together, and shown the rest of the world that there is hope in any situation, no matter how difficult.

The butterfly? God.

The rescue? God.

The faith to believe it was God? Jesus!

God, God, God.

God.

I agree.

Had a good time this evening thanking God for those men being rescued. Let the secular world try to explain it, but I'll give glory to Whom it is due.

[Guest man]

I was just probing for why people believe this was an act of God.

That question's been answered several times over.

Perhaps you would like to tell us why you believe it isn't. Yeah I know you haven't stated such, but you're the only one in this thread who questions it.

[~candice~]

If you're looking for evidence of God's hand in this, you're not going to find it.

I was just probing for why people believe this was an act of God.

That question's been answered several times over.

Perhaps you would like to tell us why you believe it isn't. Yeah I know you haven't stated such, but you're the only one in this thread who questions it.

I don't see any concrete evidence, which you stated above I would not find .

I come from a household which flippantly attributed things to God before they had any concrete evidence to do so. My mother was able to get my youngest sister into a catholic private school that ran a church service each friday, and she swore black and blue it was the hand of God. A few weeks later when she realised that my sister was hanging in a group of drug-fueled rich kids, she suddenly changed her mind and it wasn't the hand of God, but the enemy. At first it seemed all rosey and appropriate to label it as a work of God, but it wasn't so.

I also came from a hyper pentecostal church that did similar things, claiming things were of God too flippantly, only to later realise that what they claimed wasn't right. Like a woman claiming that God caused her car to break down so she would meet a particular man, only to later find out he was abusive and deceitful.

The same goes with the butterfly. It all seems good, but I have no evidence yet that it was the hand of God, it could still have been a fluke, it could have been God. It is great what happened, a good thing, but I will hold off concluding the answer to this thread in the positive just yet.

I think God has used the story to make people think on Him, that is clearly seen in this thread and in the media, just as He has used the entire rescue situation to draw people to think on Him (Ro 8:28). I will be thankful for that.