How Can Miracles Still Happen?

The Christmas season is almost upon us. It is the time of the year that we start to look at the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ. That truly was an unexpected miracle for all the people that lived in that time, and it still affects us to this day. Unfortunately, we often look to God more like He is Santa Claus when we ask Him to give us a miracle of a new car, to be liked by all, to have no money worries, and so on. We don’t seem to understand how a miracle happens. We think that if we appeal to God, he will grant us what we wish for. We know that all of creation is God’s miracle, but He does not think of it as a miracle because He knows how He created it. Because He loves us dearly, any miracles that God does perform must be for our benefit in some way.

What is a miracle? We can think of it as an extraordinary event that occurs because of divine intervention into human affairs. A miracle is beyond our ability to explain by scientific or other normal means. We do have a source of information to turn to about miracles that have happened, and that source is the bible. When we look through the Bible, we can determine that there are different types of miracles, and what is more important we can find the reason for each miracle that occurred. The types of miracles identified in the Bible are creation, sustaining, providential, predictive and suspension. We can think of these terms like control of nature, casting out evil spirits, healing, raising the dead, proving God exists, etc. Creation is making something from nothing, like when God created everything (Ge 1:1). Sustaining is getting what is needed when it is not normally available (Ex 16:4), Providential is getting what is needed just at the right time (Ex 14:21-22). Predictive is foretelling what will happen in the future (Is 7:14, Is 9:6-1). Suspension has to do with interfering with or overturning “natural law” (Mk 5:41)

There are miracles in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are miracles before Jesus was born and after Jesus ascended to heaven. We tend to think that Jesus was God during His whole life because we know the end of His story, but He was born a man, lived as a man, and died as a man, but then He was resurrected and was proclaimed to be God. He performed many miracles before and after His resurrection. So as a man like us, how did He and other saints of the bible perform miracles?

The way we look at miracles interferes with our understanding how miracles happen. We know that God is the one responsible for each miracle, but what part does the person involved in the miracle play? If we think of the person involved as an agent of God or the “hands of God,” we can look at the miracles recorded to try and understand how Jesus the man and other people were able to be an agent of God for the miracle to happen.

In Exodus 3:2-3 Moses sees a bush burning with fire but not consumed by it. This was God’s miraculous way of introducing Himself to a timid man, a murderer, a herdsman and a marginal believer. This was God’s way of convincing Moses that God was real, and He had chosen Moses to free His people. During Jesus’ ministry the disciples were sent out by themselves and performed many signs and miracles

(Mt 10:7–8). After Pentecost when Jesus was gone the apostles continued to perform miracles

(Ac 2:43). There are other stories in the Bible of the miracles performed to prove that God exists and to bring people to Jesus, so that we may believe (Jn 20:30-31), to authenticate Jesus (Ac 2:22), to confirm our salvation (He 2:3-4), to bring us to repentance (Mt 11:21), and to demonstrate God’s compassion (Mt 9:36).

So how can we become an agent of God’s miracles? There are other stories in the bible that shed some further light on this question. The disciples could not cure a boy of his demon, and Jesus had to cure the boy. When the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cure the boy, His response was that they didn’t have enough faith (Mt 17:14 – 20). Another incident is when Jesus is talking to His disciples and tells them that they will do greater things than He has done (Jn14:12). In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he talks about the gifts of God which includes miracles among other gifts (1 Co 12:28-31).

How can miracles still happen? They will happen for those that believe in God, that follow Christ, and have an unwavering Faith and Trust in God.

The Disciple group suggests that you start today to work at removing any doubts you have about the future and trust that God already has it worked out. Then work on your relationships with God and humans, so that all know you represent what God wants for everyone. Also, pray for God to make you His agent for good and for His power to be worked in and through you. Perhaps you will begin to see the miracles that will happen all around you.

The Disciple Group is open to all who might want to follow His path. See Pastor Gary if you want to get onto this path with us.