So, Is God Good?

Many people wrestle with the question, is God good, especially when life brings pain and loss. Gary’s story reveals how God can turn tragedy into redemption, proving His goodness in the darkest of places.

From death and devastating loss to redemption and purpose, this is the story of how God met Gary—and how He wants to meet you.

At 7:18 a.m. on January 1, 2020, I died.

Starting on December 26 to that moment, in only a week, a virus reduced me from a healthy, six-foot-two, 240-pound, thirty-nine-year-old to flatlining in the intensive care unit of a Florida hospital.

By late April, I had become a quadruple amputee—losing most of all four of my limbs due to an extended period on life support that caused poor blood and oxygen supply to them.

From Death to New Life: God’s Miracles in the Midst of Loss

Yet, since then, God has taken me from a divorced father of four struggling with the difficulties of life as an amputee to a remarried father of seven who now travels the nation encouraging others through my story. There were plenty of other miracles since I was brought back to life that I want to tell you about.

When I meet people, here’s the most frequently asked question: “Is Miracle really your last name?” The answer is yes, that is my actual name. But my life finally caught up to my name in 2020 when God gave new meaning through His work in me—the kind He has done throughout history that transforms Abrams into Abrahams, Sarais into Sarahs, and Sauls into Pauls. My name has always been Miracle, but now I am a miracle. God didn’t have to change my name when He chose to change my life.

While my life was saved, losing my limbs proved that the end result isn’t always what we expect. Because of my situation, I have come to realize that the best way to look at life’s circumstances is through the lens of eternity. The only way that choice is even possible is with our Heavenly Father, the only One who can offer true hope and redemption. That’s why for me, the real story you’re reading here is not about what happened to me, but Who happened to me.

While I was lying in a hospital bed fighting for my life, my family had to decide to show the world that we believe God is good. When I realized my life would be affected forever, I decided to show the world that I believe He is good, too. When so many people have looked at me and wondered how I could go on, my only answer has been, “How could I not?”

Choosing to Believe God Is Good in Every Season

My purpose here is not just to tell you about the miracle that happened to me, but to show you that you are a miracle, too. Regardless of your circumstances, I want you to connect with and relate to the battles I have and must fight every day—the first being to choose to believe that God wants to do something big, real, and amazing in you, just as He has done in me. But to accept His offer, you’ll have to first see life through His lens and realize that, while you may be in a tough place, you can live with the mindset of no more bad days.

While I certainly didn’t lose as much as the Bible tells us Job did, I do understand experiencing a life-altering tragedy and questioning God’s plan through the trauma and the drama. After all the dialogue with his friends and the monologue from God, Job comes to a powerful personal conclusion about his crisis:

Finding Eternal Perspective Through Pain and Questions

Then Job replied to the Lord:

“I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes” (Job 42:1–5).

Wherever you are right now—mentally, emotionally, or spiritually—and whatever has or hasn’t happened to you, I want to invite you to walk with me through this story. I want to share how I was brought to a place of brokenness and humility to confess, “Lord, I had only heard about You before, but now I have seen You with my own eyes.”

I pray that you begin to see God as good. Because He is.

I hope you see Him with your own eyes. And you can.

…

Featured Image Credit: Mercy Me – Say I Won’t (Official Music Video)

Excerpted with permission from No More Bad Days: Trading the Pursuit of Perfection for the Gift of Grace, Salem Books, ©2023

Like Gary Miracle, learn just how good God is by living in His favor.