Day 1

What Is a Miracle?

from the reading plan


1 Kings 18:20-40, Psalm 65:5-8, Exodus 12:40-42, Exodus 12:51, Exodus 14:21-31, Exodus 19:16-25, Exodus 7:3-5


The Bible is full of miracles, isn’t it? Cover to cover—it’s miracles, miracles, miracles. Right?

Not really, no. The fact that there are miracles in the Bible—quite a number of them, really—could leave you with the impression that they happened all the time back then. But they didn’t. They were actually quite rare. Hundreds of years would pass without a single miraculous moment. But when they did happen, they often came in bursts. Why is that?

Today’s texts lead us through a sampling of miracles from the earlier parts of Scripture. After today, this two-week study of the miracles of Jesus will focus specifically on the signs and wonders He performed during His earthly ministry. But we begin this series with the simplest question we could ask: What is a miracle?

A miracle is an historical event or phenomenon which surpasses human or natural power and cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws, and is therefore considered a display of divine power caused by God. It is a supernatural interference with the natural order of things.

Why are miracles in the Bible? Biblical miracles show God’s power and His grace. They show His presence and His judgment. They illuminate His plan to accomplish our salvation. Today’s readings illustrate these points.

Miracles are one of the ways God expresses His “otherness” to us. They reveal Him in His power, and show us He is not like us. The rules of nature that bind us do not bind Him. The laws of a created world are amendable by the One Who created it.

Why do miracles seem to appear in clusters? When you come upon an era in Scripture with a high concentration of miracles—like the Exodus or the conquest of Canaan or the life and ministry of Jesus—pay attention. God is showing His power, His grace, His salvation, His judgment, and His presence in ways that point to the fact that He is doing something special in that moment in time.

In the case of Jesus’ miracles, we come to see that God’s presence and Christ’s presence are one in the same. All the power, grace, salvation, judgment, and compassionate care Jesus shows us through His miracles come from the God who created us and governs the world in which we live.

God and His Son Jesus are not subject to creation. Creation is subject to Them. Because that is the case, what can separate us from the love of God in Christ? Romans 8 tells us nothing can—nothing in all creation.

As we study the miracles of Jesus, remember that these are nothing less than acts of God performed by Immanuel, “God with us.” Although signs and wonders may not accompany every moment of our lives, the One who makes them possible does.

Written by Russ Ramsey

Post Comments (7)

7 thoughts on "What Is a Miracle?"

  1. Brandon Hall says:

    I need to remember that my circumstances are not in control of my life, but God is the one who can take my circumstances and make a miracle out of them. They must bow to Him.

  2. Matt says:

    When you look at the life of Moses, Elijah, etc, you see a common similarity in their closeness with God, their intimate tuneness to His voice and His presence. They made bold moves of obedience, and they all were purposed with God’s realness and power on display for people to see. They were not selfish. They were not prideful. They were from a selfless motive of God being known above all else. I am inspired by this, and always have been.

    It is interesting to read that miracles were in spurts, yet far apart. Because the Bible is bound between front and back covers, it’s easy to forget that miracles were not as common as we think. Sometimes it gets discouraging to see a lack of these types of signs and wonders today. Is it God not being active? I think not. It is His timing, and also partial ownership of an obedient people. God chooses us to be a part of miracles, signs and wonders.

  3. Bobby says:

    God is all powerful and all knowing. He created everything and can mend everything at his will.

  4. Malcolm Combest says:

    It’s truly amazing what God can do. It makes me wonder why I am constantly worried about the little problems in life that are truly insignificant. God is so much bigger than my fears and problems. I just want to strive to give everything to him. I hope this will be the start to a much better me. I want to grow to know Jesus more and more and experience his power firsthand.

  5. Chris Miller says:

    God is always in control.sometimes it is hard to just sit and listen for what his will might be for my life. Praise god to the highest that he gave his only son Jesus so that we may be closer to him and learn to love honor and obey!

  6. Justin Laskowski says:

    Miracles were (are) rare. They always point to what God is accomplishing in a specific period of time.

    God is still accomplishing his plan, but like a good builder, he knows there are different tools for the job.

    God’s ultimate purpose is his glory. To reveal his glory through the Son and his gospel, to reveal his glory through salvation, to reveal his glory through his Holy Spirit making us more like Jesus, and ultimately the same is true through miracles. Through miracles, God is pointing us to something other than ourselves and our natural world. He’s pointing to his own glory – the thing that we were made for, the only portion that will satisfy.

    God, today, help me and my brothers to see your glory in the miraculous and the mundane. You are Immanuel, God WITH us, so help me to live my life in a way that shows the craziest miracle of all – that the God of the universe desires a relationship with me, so much so that he sent his own Son to redeem us.

    If I can truly wrap my mind around that and HOW MUCH God loves me, and the world, I’ll never be the same.

  7. Dalen Hanquist says:

    Jesus and God are the only ones who can perform miracles . Miracles are moments in time when God shows his power and grace in a very visual or noticeable way. God can only do this because he is not bound by the worlds natural laws we are governed by. God is The Creator therefore he can do anything. That also means because he created us, there is nothing anyone or anything can do to separate us from his love. God is love, and I love God

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