Thank you for the question of the historicity and application of Bible events, “Why do the stories from the Bible feel like fairy tales? Why don’t we see God move the similar way he did in the Bible?”
The question posed to readers is a valid one. There are many Christians and non-Christians wonder about the Biblical events.
If I may venture some reasons why the Biblical events feel like fairy tales:
A. The commercial world has portrayed the Biblical events and European fables in animation form with the result that viewers begin to see all animation as fables.
Snow White, the Avengers and Moses, Prince of Egypt are all captured into animation. The animation form of entertainment is seen as fiction without any reality. Thus the Biblical narratives have become to be viewed as fairy tales.
B. The scientific world has contested the Biblical narrative without any historical or archaeological facts. Other scholars view the writings of the Scriptures as poetry not to be taken literally. With the age of universe and earth as millions of years old through evolutionary process, the Biblical account is questioned as being historical.
Those are the two primary reason why the Biblical narratives are viewed more as fairy tales than historical facts. There are evidences that point to the Biblical accuracy of its narrative, but that is a separation question as to what evidences points to its historicity.
The question is why aren’t there more signs of God’s power as Moses or an Elijah. My reply that there were 400 years of silence before God sent Moses and 400 years before God sent Jesus into the world. The reason why God has not acted as dramatically as he did in the Old Testament is that God is not delivering his people from bondage of the Egyptians, Canaanites, or the Babylonians. His followers are called to be witnesses in the world, to make disciples. Thus God is working in the lives of individuals to bring about a change in a community.
As one reads about the the biography of missionaries or Christians as St. Francis Assisi, David Livingston, Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, God did use ordinary men and women to transform communities. The problem is not God’s power for Jesus declared that greater works you will do because I go to the Father. The power of God is only limited by the believers. The lack of surrender to the Holy Spirit hinders the working of God through the believer’s life. The Spirit of God has to work more in the believer than through the believer.
Should one expect miracles of healings, raising of the dead, or other supernatural events? The believer does not control the Spirit of God, but rather the Spirit of God controls the believers. I believe as a believer walks in step with the Spirit of God, God uses that believer to accomplish his will. Great works can be accomplish through any believer.
If one has experienced walking in the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit, one’s prayers and acts are from God. One ought to be able to see the fruit of the Spirit in a Spirit filled life. It must be remember that God is not interested in displaying his power to thrill or entertain people. It is used to minister to the hearts of people to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
SUMMARY: God uses the humble and the weak to confound the strong and the wise.
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