Miracles: Have You Seen One Lately?

Why doesn’t God do big miracles anymore?

One Sunday morning, as I made my way toward our little church worship center, I fell in step with Robert, the 83-year-old elder in our church. He opened the door then blocked my path. “We had a question come up in our men’s bible study,” he said. “One person wondered why God doesn’t do miracles anymore, like parting the Red Sea.”

Oh, where was he going with this? My mind whirled with theological answers. The parting of the Red Sea was a specific miracle for a specific time, a message that would speak to that generation and generations to come. On the other hand, any kind of divine intervention can be called a miracle because it came from God and it’s all how you define a miracle. And . . .

But who was I to set straight an elder of the church?

But he’s asking me, right?

Is this the time and place? Worship is about to begin and . . .

Robert’s answer

Robert had not asked, “What do you think?” He had his own answer that he wanted to tell me.

He shook his head in distress. “Of course God still does miracles. I know He does.” He thumped his cane on the word know. “He’s done it in my life.” Now he shoved two fingers before my eyes and shook them for emphasis. “Twice. Twice, I tell you.”

Robert proceeded to tell me how he’d been in two separate serious motorcycle accidents in his younger years. He survived both of them when he shouldn’t have. “God saved my life. And I’ve spent the next forty years working for Him. God gave me forty more years so I could serve Him.”

And worship service began.

I was so full to overflowing that I could have gone home right then and felt liked I’d worship God and received something in return. On the other hand, I now had something to ponder and praise while I worshipped with other believers. Robert’s words wove through my worship: God saved me so I could serve Him.

Here’s wat I pondered.

When we quibble about whether an unexplained event can be classified as a miracle, we’re traveling down the wrong path. The more relevant question is this: If God did indeed save your life or provide for you in such a generous way that can be attributed only to Him, what are you going to do about it?

Will you:

• Tell the story to others?
• Give back to God as He has given to you?
• Be more apt to trust God for His care for you during the next crisis you face?

Or will you go on with your life—same old, same old?

God’s intentions, our response.

God didn’t have a Ben Hur mentally when He chose to miraculously save or protect you: “We keep you alive to serve this ship.” We choose how we respond to what He has done. But God does miracles in our lives for much bigger reasons than making our lives more convenient and comfortable. He does those miracles to bring honor and glory to His name. If we see God in the miracle, that moment will be life-altering for us. We’ll be so overwhelmed and grateful for how we’ve seen Him intervene that we’ll want to honor the Lord who has done such a great thing for us.

Robert saw more life years as a gift from God, a gift meant to be cherished and valued. He wanted to use that gift of life to honor the Lord. He returned the gift of his life back to the Lord to use as God saw best.

No, he didn’t become a preacher or go off to the mission field. This quiet, gentle, hardworking man painted classrooms, weeded flower gardens and trimmed bushes. He filled Communion trays and shook hands of visitors to the church . If the church facilities needed fixing, Robert has done it without acclaim or acknowledgement. His satisfaction came from seeing that the job got done. If he didn’t know how to do something he was asked to do, he humbly accepted training and trusted God to help him do what he didn’t think he could do.

And Robert shares his stories of God’s faithfulness to anyone who will listen. Even if it means stopping a fellow believer on the sidewalk of the church Sunday morning so he can share his passionate gratitude for what God has done for him.

What would you do with a miracle?

Robert is right. Many people are looking for a big sign of God’s existence and power. And it’s a fair question to ask: what would they do if they did see God act in a mighty way? Would it change their attitude toward God, their trust in Him, or the dedication of their life hours to Him?

The more important question is this: what would you do with a miracle? What miracles have you seen God do? What have you done with the miracles He’s done for you?

Here’s some ideas:

• Pause and thank Him one more time for what He did for you and how He showed His power and love for you.
• Write the story down so you and those who come behind you don’t forget.
• Talk to the Lord about ways you can show active gratitude for what He has done for you. Ask God to show you how He would like to use you to pass His grace and mercy on to another person.

Robert saw more life years as a gift. He wanted to use that gift of life to honor the Lord who saved his life. Twice, he’ll tell you.

That’s what you do with a miracle.