A miracle is an extraordinary work of God that transcends or contravenes the ordinary laws of nature. It’s a particular kind of sign. It’s an unmistakable display of supernatural power that is calculated to confront unbelief and provoke awe with the purpose of authenticating some agent of divine revelation, or the revelation itself. True miracles are not merely arbitrary displays of God’s power. They are manifestly supernatural and they are themselves a form of revelation. This is God unveiling Himself in a way that cannot be denied, that’s what a miracle is. So that when someone born blind receives sight, that’s a bonafide miracle. When the sea parts for Moses, or the sun stands still for Joshua, or Jonah is eaten by a big fish, those are actual miracles. Those are true signs and wonders. When Sarah conceived a child in her old age, decades after menopause, that was a miracle. When a couple today in their thirties with no verifiable physical obstacle struggle and pray through years of frustrating efforts to conceive and they finally bear a child, that’s not a miracle, it is an answer to prayer. In fact, was it God who answered those prayers and granted the blessing of conception? Absolutely. That’s true anytime anyone gets pregnant. Psalm 127 verse 3, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” God’s always in it when a child is conceived. But even though we often use language broadly and say, “Conception is a miracle,” it’s not a true sign and wonder miracle. It’s a work of divine providence, in perfect harmony with the ordinary operation of nature as God Himself designed and decreed. And likewise, it’s not technically a miracle when you pray that some need will be met and you get an unexpected check in the mail at exactly the right amount. God is the unseen provider behind an unexpected check too, as well as every other penny that comes your way, even the money you earn and expect. Scripture says it is God who gives you the power to earn wealth…all of it. God’s in all of that. And I personally thank God and give Him the glory, and I hope you do too, for every mundane convenience and the everyday blessings of life, including something as mundane as when the only empty seat on the airplane is the one next to me. I thank God for that. But that’s not a miracle in the biblical sense, and it cheapens the biblical idea of signs and wonders to pretend that those things are miracles. They’re not. They’re providence…that’s evidence of God’s providence, it’s the proof of God’s providence. It’s not a miracle. Miracles in Scripture are always associated with new revelation, and they generally go hand in hand with major acts of judgment, or other significant shifts in the course of redemptive history. (Phil Johnson teaching on Devine Providence)
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 06:00:07 +0000
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