#16 Do Miracles still happen?
Do Miracles still happen?
Miracles are things that happen that don’t make sense without God intervening with reality in a very obvious way. I am of the opinion that miracles still happen today. I came to this opinion first by the experience of those I love and trust, second from my own experience, and finally through studying the Bible which is the source of truth. When it comes to the question whether or not miracles still happen the Bible must be our first and primary source to answer this question.
I Have Seen Miracles
As a way of getting started I want to show a couple examples of what I would qualify as miracles today.
One time my grandparents some odd 40 years ago were driving down a rarely traveled road at night. There was a rain storm and they had been driving for a long time without seeing another car. Yet when their car ran off the road in the mud a tow truck showed up immediately and pulled them back onto the road. They thanked him and tried to pay him but he said no thanks and walked away. They got back in the car to drive on yet the tow truck was not seen again.
Another example I have seen in my own life is when I was a teenager I couldn’t sleep so I prayed that God would help me to sleep. After my prayer ended I started to hear angels sing. I searched for a source to the song and found nothing. I wrote down the words and searched for them online. Yet I knew in the moment that it was angels. And when I stopped being afraid I fell asleep to the angel's song.
These stories mean nothing unless interpreted in line with what the Bible says about the nature of God and Miracles.
Miracles In The Bible
Miracles in the Bible come in many forms but they are often characterized by being public, obvious, and important. Not all of the miracles in the Bible meet that criteria but most do.
In Exodus 14 we see the parting of the Red Sea which happens to save the Israelites from Egypt. This is a miracle as it is public, it was obviously a miracle according to our sources, and it was important as without it Israel would have been lost.
John 2:1-11 Water is turned into Wine. This example differs in that the majority of the witnesses of the miracle were unaware that it happened, yet there were still many witnesses. To those in the background the miracle was obvious. Finally it was important as Jesus was told by his mother to do it and Jesus being perfect obeyed his mother.
Another example is Matthew 17:24-27. This differs from the other examples in that it was a very personal miracle. Yet even so miracles seem to serve to fill in important needs.
Miracles Still Happen
James 5:15 says “and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” James wrote to the twelve tribes abroad. Which shows that his letter is written to all of Christendom.
Mark 16:17-18 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” If what Mark says here is still true then this means that miracles or signs still happen around believers.
Potential For Misuse And Misinterpretation
Matthew 24:24, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” Miracles have a high potential for misleading and misuse in the Church. Anyone who shows miracles either in the world today or that they do themselves should be greeted with an extreme level of suspicion.
Division And Sectarianism
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 shows us that nothing should divide us from Christ. So being a part of one denomination or another, or believing in miracles or not, should not divide us. It should primarily be considered from the perspective of whether or not the person is being wise or not.
Distraction From The Gospel Message
“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” (Luke 10:20) This implies that miracles and other signs are of secondary importance to your spiritual journey. Of primary importance is whether or not you are going to heaven.
Dependency On Signs And Wonders
“Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” (John 4:48) As believers we need to have faith in God. But oftentimes that faith is put in a leader or in other signs. These are things we latch onto as believers that distract us from God, by worshiping the sign rather than the giver of the sign.
Circling Back
Going back to the beginning, I mentioned two examples of miracles. One from my life and another from my grandparents. According to the criteria we laid out earlier neither of these two stories fulfill all of the basic requirements of a miracle. But even if they are not miracles they are real stories from my life that serve as reminders of God’s caring nature.
In Conclusion, miracles are of secondary importance. This should always be at the forefront of your mind when it comes to what others share with you about their experience with God. Also Anything that falls in the same category as parting the Red Sea should be taken seriously. If you say something trivial is a miracle then you are likely being delusional, irrational, and profaning the glory of God.
