I think one of the main reasons why miracles don’t seem to happen as frequently today as they did in biblical times is in the matter of perception.
I believe that miracles are happening — always happening, as God reveals themself to the world in amazing and wondrous ways. Yet God’s miracles aren’t given to us to be just a quick fix; they are a part of our continual growth in a deepening faith that lasts a lifetime. The challenge and opportunity lies in our willingness to see, recognize, and receive them.
Seeing miracles can be a daily event. In fact, we can see so many miracles in this age of mass media, that we begin to normalize them. We can become indifferent to the moments of grace and joy, of unexpected love and abundant hope, that we simply overlook what God is offering to us. All we need to do to see a miracle is open our eyes and hearts to the possibility of them being there: they are being shown to us in our homes, our communities, our social media feeds, etc.
Recognizing miracles is a different aspect altogether. For this invites us to connect with our faith, and not be deterred by the world. In our modern scientific era, we could perceive our advanced understandings as normal and human-sourced; yet through the eyes of faith we know that things like technological discoveries, unique snowflakes, penicillin, unexplained healings, etc., are all divine gifts that benefit God’s people.
It can also be helpful for us to remember that throughout the Bible, it’s the people of faith who recognize the miracles as they unfold. We’re not always told if the non-believers can differentiate a miracle from an anomaly, or if they preferred to rest in skepticism.
The final component of miracles that I feel deserves some attention is our reception of them. Miracles happen; often quickly and surprisingly! But miracles aren’t just for show, they compel a transformation within us. We receive miracles when we are willing to engage with the responsibility of how God is calling us.
God calls us through covenant to use the provided miracles for the welfare of all; humanity is intended to be a willing participant in the stewardship of the miracle’s outcome. God’s miracles aren’t meant to make us careless, but to stir up within our hearts a desire to be disciplined in faithful response and generosity. Receiving a miracle means finding ways to share that grace and love in holy and life-giving ways.
So as we enter this season of Advent, Christmas, and the Epiphany, perhaps we can shift our thinking away from believing miracles are a modern-day scarcity, and instead be encouraged to seek them out and celebrate them and share that as part of God’s Good News of the season.
