Miracles

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There are miracles, and then there are special miracles.

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Acts 19:11-12 – And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:  So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

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Miracles are real.  It is likely that they happen somewhere on our planet every day.  The working of miracles is one of the gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12.   Sadly, in our language, the term miracle is used in so many ways that the real power of God being manifest in the working of a true miracle is diminished, and in many cases, considered by people to just be a really nice thing happening to someone.  Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying.  Miracles do happen.  They happen as an action of Holy Spirit when, where, how, and through whom He chooses.

What I say here may anger some, but truth needs to be told.  Something wonderful happens and people say, “It was a miracle.”  Certainly, a miracle is a wonderful thing, but there are multitudes of wonderful things that happen daily that are not miracles.  To explain that, allow me to offer a Biblically accurate definition of miracle.   A miracle is a supernatural work of Holy Spirit that defies and works contrary to nature itself.  Let me offer some examples.  A broken bone will heal if set and treated properly.  So, a supernatural healing of a broken bone, instantaneous healing, is just that; a gift of healing.  But if a limb is lost in an accident, there is nothing in nature that can change that.  So, if a new limb grows out, that is not a healing, it is a miracle.  A human body being healed of cancer is the removal of cancer cells from the body.  But cancer destroys (eats) normal tissue, and the removal of the cancer does not replace the human tissue that has been destroyed.  If new tissue supernaturally replaces the tissue that was eaten away by the cancer, a miracle has taken place.

Let me be as clear as possible.  Never fail to be thankful to the Lord for every good thing He does in your life.  The blessing of a natural recovery from a cold is possible because of the glorious design God did in the making of your body.  Complete recovery from pneumonia in eight hours is a supernatural healing, but not a miracle.  To have lost a lung to cancer, and then to recover completely, having two healthy lungs is a miracle.  You see, a miracle defies the known laws of nature.  Examples are fire falling from heaven on a water-soaked sacrifice, the Red Sea or the Jordan River being divided, water turning to blood, water turning into wine; these are miracles.  Arms, legs, feet, hands, even fingers being restored that were lost; that’s a miracle.  Please, honor the Lord.  Give Him all the glory for every good thing He does.  But please, recognize what they are, and never diminish them by calling miraculous that which is not.

Manna for Today – Acts 19:11-20; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11