What is a miracle?

A few weeks ago we had supper with our son. His friend stood with me in the dining room and said she had been “praying for a kitten.” Our son already has three cats and he rolled his eyes. I glanced out the dining room window and said, “Guess what? There is a kitten sitting on the back step.”

He was shocked. I started to laugh. The friend’s mouth was open. He went outside. The kitten hissed and spit at him until he picked her up and held her to his neck. She started to purr and I knew this very hungry little creature found her home. Was that a miracle? Or a bizarre coincidence?

We hear of cancer patients who ask for prayer and the cancer disappears. Is that a miracle? Or remission?

My hubby had an affliction that has treatment but no cure. He was praying for someone else who was sick and his affliction disappeared, never to return. His doctor cannot explain it. Was that a miracle?

The miracles of Christ formed an important part of His ministry. These gave evidence to His identity and helped people realize His power. Mark focuses on miracles more that Matthew and Luke as he presents Jesus as a busy servant. However, Luke records an instance when Jesus introduced Himself.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16–21)

Essentially, Jesus says He brings the good news of the Gospel and backs it up with miracles. This was in a day without expensive medications and sophisticated treatments. It was in a culture where demonic problems were not confused with mental illness and drug use. Regardless of the conditions of His patients, the Great Physician healed them all. It seems significant that a doctor wrote Luke — one who did explain that these cures were done by the power of God.

Today, miracles happen. We don’t hear much about them, perhaps because God does not want His people mobbed like Jesus was mobbed. Like the folks in His day, our culture wants to be healthy, wealthy and wise, most of all healthy, comfortable, without pain, even beyond pain. The idols are often little pills or needles filled with concoctions that seem to promise a happy place but often beyond that initial euphoria is destruction.

I’ve experienced peace in pain. To me, that is God’s doing even a miracle, perhaps a greater one than if He took the pain away. In hindsight, I can see purpose in my pain as these experiences always draw me closer to my divine doctor and teach me to trust Him even when I don’t like what is happening.

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Jesus, You showed Your power in healing the sick, casting out demons, turning water into wine, calming the storms and even raising the dead. Our human problem with trusting You is not about You or Your trustworthiness; it is about our sinful insistence on trusting ourselves. We can be so incredibly foolish!