Following the strategy of the classic game of Clue, we need to identify not only how God has shown up in our lives but where He has shown up: in the hall? The study? The lounge? Let me suggest three places we should look to see God’s fingerprint: the natural, the supranatural, and the supernatural.
The Natural
A pantheistic worldview believes that God is nature and, therefore, not distinct from it. Deism believes that God was the creator who set the cosmos in motion, but now He is simply a distant landlord… no longer intervening or interacting with His creation.
In contrast, the Christian faith believes that God not only created the universe, but He is distinct from it and directly involved with it. The belief that God is sovereign means that nothing large or small happens that does not have God’s fingerprint on it. Neither luck nor “mother nature” is a viable concept in the Christian faith.
The natural world we live in has a rhythm and predictability that gives us a sense of security and comfort. These factors have also motivated early scientists to study and identify the natural laws that God established to govern the physical universe. The predictability of those laws has made it possible to explore space, develop medical cures, and advance in technology. Modern scientific discoveries are based on the assumption that what we observe today will still be true tomorrow. King Solomon agreed with that assumption. “What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again” (Ecclesiastes 3:15 NLT).
However, to the follower of Christ, consistency does not eliminate the belief in an ever-present God in our everyday, ordinary lives. The Bible claims that God not only created the universe, but He is presently holding it together. “…all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).
The natural world is the starting point for discovering and appreciating the touch of God on our lives. But the fingerprint of God is also seen in the supra-natural and the super-natural.
The Supranatural
Supranatural is the plus factor, going above and beyond the natural. It reminds me of the fast-food marketing gimmick of “supersizing” your meal. In religious life, we use the term blessing. We consider people blessed when something happens beyond what would typically be expected. For example, when a farmer harvests his crop and gets 300 bushels per acre rather than his usual 200, he feels blessed.
Supranatural events function within the known laws of nature and social relationships. For example, when we ask God to bless our family or friends, we ask for better than average results. We are not expecting God to step outside the known laws of nature but rather . . . .well, bless them!
For example, Jesus fed the 5,000 with the resources of five loaves and two fish. Not only did everyone have enough to eat, but there was also extra for a “to go” box for their trip home. Jesus applied a multiplication factor to the natural available resource resulting in a supranatural event… touched by God.
When God’s multiplier is greater than one, we consider the outcome a blessing. But when it is less than one, it is a discipline. In either case, God shows up. Consider Israel’s situation at the time of Haggai the prophet.
This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes (Haggai 1:5-6)! (See also Isaiah 5:3-6)
A multiplier of less than one in the Old Testament was often in the form of a drought and the resulting famine. Usually, it was precipitated by prolonged disobedience. When God’s people did not obey or heed warnings from the prophets, famine was the wake-up call.
The Supernatural
We think of the supernatural as events that step outside of either the natural or supra-natural. These are events that have no explanation within the known natural laws. Sometimes supernatural has been attributed to events for which people are ignorant of their cause. For example, centuries ago, a comet in the sky was a supernatural event that caused great fear. With little understanding of our cosmos, the event seemed supernatural. Today, however, we know that comets are relatively common events, and we know why they occur. Supernatural is the term we apply to events that occur without a known explanation: outside the laws of nature.
In the biblical narrative, God steps into His created, predictable natural order and acts supernaturally. For example, Jesus claimed divinity during His earthly ministry by stepping outside the natural order and causing events to happen that were supernatural. The resurrection of Lazarus comes to mind. Had Jesus arrived on site earlier and healed Lazarus, it could have been considered supranatural, a blessing. But when He delayed, and Lazarus died, Jesus raising him from the dead was a miracle – a supernatural event.
“Breakthrough” is the name of a movie made about John Smith of St Charles, MO, who in 2015 fell through the ice in a local lake. He was underwater for 15 minutes, and his heart had stopped beating for 43 minutes. When his mom arrived at the hospital, she prayed, asking God for a miracle. His vitals immediately responded, and, in a few days, he was fully conscious. He had a complete recovery and now readily shares his story. The doctors have no natural explanation for what occurred. It was a supernatural event indicating the fingerprint of God.
As dramatic as supernatural events are, and as much as we desire them, their impact seems to have a short shelf life. Reflecting on the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, I notice that after the supernatural damming of the Red Sea and a dry seabed crossing, it didn’t take long for the people to revert to their old ways and views of God. So, God repeats the supernatural with a dry river crossing at the Jordon River. This time, however, He has them set up a monument so they would remember and pass this supernatural event on to the next generation. The Old Testament prophets constantly challenged the nation of Israel to remember what God had done.
In the game of Clue, the deed is done in only one room, but God has manifested His glory in every place. God is present in the natural, supranatural, and supernatural. His fingerprint is everywhere if we take the time and effort to look for it.
So, what do we do once we identify the fingerprint of God? You may want to read David’s example in 2 Samuel 22, where David investigated and discovered God in the landscape of his life.
For Reflection
1. Reflect on a time recently when God touched your life with a plus factor of the supranatural.
2. Which of the three (natural, supranatural, supernatural) do the Psalms
primarily refer to?