Do I believe in miracles?

I’m not sure that I believe in modern miracles. Yesterday someone told me about a healing but another person easily convinced me that it was likely not a supernatural thing. The day before I read a news bulletin about a woman who died and was buried for 3-4 days. Then, on a revelation from the Holy Spirit, someone opened her coffin and she came back to life before their eyes. The article said that she lived several years testifying to the power of God. I’m not sure I believe the story.

This morning I read Acts 5:17-25. “Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught.”

I accept that story, but the high priest and those with him needed to see it. They “called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, ‘Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!’ Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told them, saying, ‘Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!’”

Do I really believe this miracle occurred? If so, why not other stories of miracles? Do I put the Bible stories into a separate category, like myths? Or maybe I’ve become jaded by false claims of ‘miracles’ or by those who use the word when there are other explanations. Or maybe I don’t want to be in the category of wild-eyed people who shout that God did a miracle only to have people write them off as a nut case. Whatever my reason, have I put God in a box? I often say ‘nothing is too hard for God’ but do I have a limit in mind? I know He answers prayer, but in this modern day, does He do genuine miracles that cannot be explained any other way?

One of my study Bibles says that Bible miracles happened only at particular times to attest a divine commission. The prophets, the apostles, and Jesus performed them partly as proof they were sent by God. Some say we have Scripture today, and don’t need anything else to ‘prove’ divine authority.

The Bible does offer passages showing that the devil, false prophets, the magicians of Egypt and other evil agents performed miracles in an effort to deceive those who do not know God. From that, I suppose skepticism is okay, but at the same time, I don’t want to put God in a box. Realizing that I might be doing that makes me sad, but reading the Bible accounts of miracles also makes me realize that if God wants to do one, His actions have nothing to do with my doubts, judgment calls or decisions. He definitely can and does whatever He wants. I need to consider this further.

On a lighter note, small things often spell big blessings. Our seven-year-old grandson came for a visit yesterday. Besides being his adorable self, he sports new glasses and informed us they “make me look like a genius.” We had a three-person game of Scrabble® and he almost proved it. However, when he left, he signed our guest book. In the comment section where most people note why they came, he wrote “fisit.”

I’m still smiling.