Do You Believe In Miracles?

Do you believe in miracles? The answer depends on whether you believe in One who can do them!

Scripture:       

Ezekiel, chapters 45-46; Luke, chapter 1

Luke 1:26-38 (CEB):

When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God.”

Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Observations: Do You Believe in Miracles?

I’m old enough that I remember Al Michaels’ iconic call of the “Miracle on Ice” game. The United States ice hockey team defeated the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. As the time wound down, Michaels said, “Do you believe in miracles? YES!!” Modern people tend to think of miracles in that sense – things happening that no one expects. But no matter how unlikely the outcome, it was not a “miracle.”

“Miracle: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.” In that sense, the term “miracle” clearly applies to today’s passage. The angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will conceive and give birth to a son. She knows that this would be a miracle: “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”

Gabriel tells her that she will conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit. The child would be called God’s Son. Is that a miracle? Yes: “an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.” He then tells Mary that even her cousin Elizabeth – “who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’” – is six months pregnant. And then he closes with a powerful reminder: Nothing is impossible for God.

Application: Do You Believe in Miracles? Nothing Is Impossible for God

Do you believe in miracles? Well, do you believe in God? If you believe in God, there is no reason to disbelieve in miracles. A miracle “surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.” If you believe in God, He is “a supernatural cause.” If you don’t believe in God – or at least some “god” – you probably reject miracles, because you reject the very idea of a “supernatural” cause.

But if we accept the existence of a Supreme Being, why would we disbelieve in miracles? By definition a Supreme Being would “surpass all known human or natural powers.” How could we completely understand such a Being? If we can’t, on what basis would we deny miracles? And, to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, if we accept the possibility of miracles, why would we draw the line at this one – at the Virgin Birth?

So it comes back to the central question: do we believe in God? It should be apparent that I do. Because I do, I believe in miracles. I don’t have to be able to explain them or understand them; that’s the very nature of a miracle! Because God is infinite, omniscient, and omnipotent, a mere human could never fully understand or explain Him. So why would I think that I could fully understand everything that He does – or why? Faith affirms what Gabriel told Mary: Nothing is impossible for God!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for reminding us that nothing is impossible for You. You are all-powerful and all-knowing, so Your ways are always best. And because You are good, we can trust You completely! Help us to say, with Mary: “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Whatever You call us to do, You can enable us to do. Help us to say “yes” to You. Amen.