Miracle: noun
- an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
- such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.
- a wonder; marvel. (1)
People say that Vacation Bible School is for children, but I beg to differ. Every time I help lead a VBS, I end up learning just as much, if not more, than my younger counterparts. This past week, I had the opportunity to serve as part of a drive-in VBS (which ended up being less of a drive-in and more of a live-stream due to rain), teaching bible lessons to kids. Our focus during the week was on how we can serve God right where we are- in our own backyards, so to speak. To illustrate the point every day, we acted out bible stories involving people serving others in miraculous ways. The whole week was great, but the one story we told that really caught my attention was the story of the paralytic and his four friends (found in Mark 2).
If you are unfamiliar with this story, here is the cliff notes version: Four men take their paralyzed friend to see Jesus, but when they get to where he is teaching, they can’t get in the building because of the crowd. So, the men do the only logical thing possible and break a hole in the roof of the building, lowering the paralytic down mission impossible style. Jesus sees the man and first forgives his sin, then heals his legs as proof that he had the ability to forgive sin.
As I was reading through Mark 2 in preparation for VBS, verse 12 caught my eye: “He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!” I began thinking to myself, When was the last time I witnessed or experienced a move of God so miraculous that I could say I had never seen anything like it before?
For all the miracles we hear preached from the pulpit and every move of God we see in scripture, I have noticed a striking lack of real life miracles in the American church today. When the time comes for people to share testimonies of God’s work in church, there is silence. Why is this? Why does no one speak of miracles?
Jesus promised his disciples in John 14:12 that after he ascended they would be able to do the same work that he was doing (aka, heal the sick, preach to the masses, show compassion towards the outcasts). In fact, He said that through the Holy Spirit they would “do even greater works than these” because he was ascending to the Father. Additionally, at the end of Mark, in chapter 16, verses 17-18, Jesus commissions his disciples to go and make disciples of all the earth, and he explains some signs that will accompany those who believe:
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Mark 16:17-18
All throughout the book of Acts, we see repeated examples of Christians doing exactly what Jesus is speaking of in this passage, and more. So where did the power go? I don’t know about you, but I don’t go to a demon casting, tongue-speaking, snake handling, deadly poison drinking, hand-laying church. Some scholars have argued that this passage does not apply literally to the church today, but regardless of whether Jesus was speaking literally or figuratively, the point of this passage remains the same. Jesus promises that true believers will experience the miraculous power of God in their lives. Some people would say that God simply doesn’t move in the same way now as he did back in the bible, but that does not make any sense. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Therefore if the unchanging God showed up in miraculous ways in 30 A.D., what prevents him from showing up in miraculous ways today?
Perhaps no one has stories of miraculous provision to share because we are not bold enough to be in a position where we need to rely on God for that provision. Perhaps we don’t share stories of miraculous healing because we attribute our healing to doctors and pills. Perhaps we miss the miracles all around us because we do not have the faith to see them.
In Matthew 13: 53-58, Jesus comes back to his hometown and tries to preach to the people he grew up with. However, as verse 58 says: “he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief”. What a shame, that among the people who should know Jesus the best, he was prevented from working miraculously because they lacked belief. I wonder how many times that is our story….
I want to tell you the story of a woman who experiences miracles all the time: Her name is Carol. An older woman who lives alone, she is poor enough to wonder every month where the money for bills is coming from, and she has more health problems than I can count, but she loves Jesus with all her heart and lives life in a constant state of praise. I met this 72-year-old saint six years ago on a mission trip and despite the major age difference, we have been friends ever since. We write letters back and forth to one another, and she calls me almost every week to tell me what the Lord is doing in her life. I will return from work some days to find a message on our answering machine that is longer than the Declaration of Independence (the woman can talk your ear off) with a story that starts with, “I have a Walking-on-the-water miracle to share with you” .
Walking-on-the-water miracles that you can see with the eye and touch with the finger. That is what she calls them. Some days she will tell a story of how her oxygen ran out at the store and the Lord sustained her lungs until she could get home and refill her tank. Other days she will talk about money that comes from nowhere just in time to pay the light bill. Still other days she will testify of miraculous healing for health problems that brought her close to death.
I love the fact that Carol always has a miracle story in her life, and is always so excited to share it with anyone and everyone that comes in contact with her, be it a friend or a customer service representative on the phone. Her faith that God will always come through and work in miraculous ways on her behalf and the behalf of others is an inspiration. I hope that in my life I am as quick to recognize the miracles he does for me and share them as Carol is.
So what is the moral of this story? And why did I share a snippet about my friend Carol?
Whether you believe it or not, it is nevertheless true that God still works miracles today, and he moves in powerful ways for those who trust him. You can take that to the bank! Carol is an example of someone who lives in assurance of God’s power and presence, and has experienced God move as a result.
But here’s the clincher: Miracles are not about us. We do not get to choose when God works or in what way, because ultimately the purpose of miracles is for God’s glory, not our benefit. So rather than seeking out miracles for the splendor and wonder of them, we should simply seek the God who works the miracles, and be content to rest in him. I pray that our eyes would be open to the ways he is already working around us, that we may be able to share with others out everyday miracles!
Soli Deo Gloria 