A God of miracles
Jesus Christ is a God of Miracles.
He declared, “For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.”
2 Ne 27:23
The etymology of the word “miracle” comes from the Latin
mirus - wonderful
mirari - to marvel or to wonder
A miracle is an extraordinary event caused by the power of God.
Another definition of miracle is simply a manifestation of divine power.
Moroni said,
“But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.”
Mormon 9:11
Notice here that Moroni, in his purpose to show us a God of miracles, begins with creation.
How often are we aware of the miracle of creation? We easily fall into our daily routines where everything can seem ordinary. What if we could have eyes to see and ears to hear the miracles that are before us, that surround us, that are within us, all the time?
How would that change our hearts and minds if every day we walked in the sunlight, breathed the air, felt our heartbeat, moved with these gifts of our bodies, noticed the wonders of nature, interacted with our fellow humans, and marveled at all of it.
Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology, author, and researcher whose focus is on helping people find “the good life,” said,
“...my research has led me to believe that one simple prescription can have transformative effects: look for more daily experiences of awe. What the science of awe suggests is that opportunities for awe surround us, and their benefits are profound.
Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding...”
Awe produces in us a greater sense of joy, connection, and community; it promotes kindness, empathy, a sense of wonder and curiosity, even healthier bodies and more creative minds.
Beholding the miracles around us is good for our minds, bodies, and souls.
It is a way to deepen our worship of God.
It increases our faith, which precedes and brings about even more miracles.
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Recently I came across a study that was pretty astonishing…
It was an attempt to calculate the probability of you existing – being born to your parents, possessing your unique genetic makeup and composition, etc.
Something that seems very unlikely or rare would be 1 in 50, or even a 100. Even less so, 1 in a thousand. Practically impossible: one in a million.
Well according to this study, the probability of you existing exactly as you are is 1 in 400 trillion.
That’s 400 million times less likely than 1 in a million.
Another study attempted to calculate the probability of earth’s existence.
Astrophysicist Erik Zackrisson used a computer model to simulate the universe’s evolution after the Big Bang, and found that earth’s existence, with its ability to sustain life, is a 1-in-700-quintillion anomaly.
The scale of these statistics is incomprehensible. Impossible. Beyond extraordinary.
So if we are given the choice, we either believe in the statistical impossibility of our existence – a total miracle;
Or we believe that there is a Divine Power, a Creator, a God of miracles who created this earth and everything in it and beyond it, and each one of us.
This quote is attributed to Albert Einstein,
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.”
On average, 4 children are born every second on this earth. This common occurrence may lead us to believe that birth is ordinary.
Any parent or anyone in this room who has felt the movement of a child in a mother’s belly, who has been there in the labor process, who has witnessed a newborn child being brought into the world, taking its first breaths…knows there is nothing ordinary about it.
It is extraordinary.
I am the father of 5 children and witnessing the birth of each one was witnessing a miracle.
Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge taught,
“The most phenomenal occurrences of all time and eternity—the most amazing wonders, the most astounding, awesome developments—are the most common and widely recognized. They include: I am; you are; we are; and all that we perceive exists as well, from subatomic particles to the farthest reaches of the cosmos and everything in between, including all of the wonders of life. Is there anything greater than those ordinary realities? No. Nothing else even comes close. You can’t begin to imagine, much less describe, anything greater than what already is.”
Pres. Howard W Hunter taught in a similar way,
“Are not the greatest miracles the fact that we have life and limb and sight and speech in the first place? Yes, there will always be plenty of miracles if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.”
Take a moment to reflect on this question: Have you witnessed or experienced miracles?
I reflected on some of my own experiences with miracles – big and small.
Being born in such a beautiful earth and family in a place where I was raised in relative peace and stability.
My mother’s and family’s resilience after experiencing abuse and betrayal.
My stepdad, who after 46 years of living the single life, married my mom and became a step-father to me and my four older, somewhat jaded, hormonal teenage sisters.
Some close calls with danger, but being spared accidents, injury, or possible death
Healing after some accidents and injuries.
The miracle of modern medicine that resulted in a surgery that may have saved my life at age 13.
Leaving my home at the age of 19 to a foreign country, learning to speak a foreign language, and preaching the restored gospel.
Going on splits with a fellow greenie, getting lost in the streets of Sao Paulo, and after it became dark and we were getting desperate, a car pulled up slowly to us. I wasn’t sure if this would be good or bad news, but it was actually a member of the ward who said he felt impressed to drive home from work on a different route and there he found us, picked us up, and drove us safely home.
A priesthood blessing that immediately removed pain from a woman who was suffering.
Witnessing the Spirit soften the hearts of individuals, including my own, to receive the gospel.
Crossing paths with Erin three times and finally summoning the courage to ask her out.
Erin saying yes - three times - to marry me.
The birth of our 5 children, as well as the healing and comfort that came after three miscarriages.
A priesthood blessing that prevented a panic attack and brought much-needed peace.
The casting out of false spirits, as we’re shown in the temple, of evil, deception, darkness, temptation…
The miracle of forgiveness – many, many times. Seventy times seven, plus.
The miracle of Jesus calming the storm that was happening in my mind and soul.
The miracle of feeling encompassed in the arms of love. An abundant, overwhelming, unconditional love.
The miracle of witnessing hearts and minds transformed, changed, healed.
The miracle of hearing a friend’s testimony that he felt the love of God in a way that he hadn’t for nearly 20 years.
What if we’re not seeing the miracles we are asking for?
Elder Rasband addressed this powerfully,
“There are times we hope for a miracle…. Looking at things through mortal eyes, we want the Lord to intervene, to fix what is broken. Through faith, the miracle will come, though not necessarily on our timetable or with the resolution we desired. Does that mean we are less than faithful or do not merit His intervention? No. We are beloved of the Lord. He gave His life for us, and His Atonement continues to release us from burdens and sin as we repent and draw close to Him.”
Elder Rasband reminded us that even Christ gave up his life, not “saving himself” on the cross. This seemed to most witnesses to be an incomprehensible tragedy. This was supposed to be the Messiah! How could he die like this? But there were greater miracles in store. The greatest of all miracles, the atonement, the miracle of resurrection, of triumph over physical and spiritual death.
He continues, “The Lord…offers, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’—rest from worry, disappointment, fear, disobedience, concern for loved ones, for lost or broken dreams. Peace amidst confusion or sorrow is a miracle.”
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In the 4 gospels of the New Testament there are 37 recorded miracles, but there were many more that were left unrecorded.
John wrote, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:”
John 20:30
Why does Jesus perform miracles? John tells us the purpose,
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
John 20:31
We know that it is by faith that miracles are performed, and we see here from John that the purpose is that we might believe, and have life in Him.
Faith precedes a miracle, and deeper belief in Jesus is the result of the miracle.
So what’s the difference or relationship here between faith and belief?
I’m moved by the story of the father who was seeking relief for his son, possessed of a dumb spirit. He describes the ailments: “he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away;” “ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him” (Mark 9:18, 22)
The father had asked the disciples for help, but they could not. Jesus answered saying, “O faithless generation” – a reminder that faith precedes the miracle.
The father cries out, “if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.”
Elder Holland pointed out that the father used the pronoun “us.” This struggle affected not only the child, but the father, and probably the whole family in ways we can only imagine.
Jesus answered, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Mark 9:23-24
This man had heard of the miracles Jesus performed. His first attempt asking the disciples for help did not produce the outcome he hoped for. This was undoubtedly a blow to his belief for the miracle he sought, or perhaps an affirmation that there was no hope.
Still, perhaps out of desperation and with a glimmer of hope, he sought Jesus.
This was an expression of faith that moved him to action and led him to the source.
When he pleads, “if thou canst do any thing” Jesus responds with, “if thou canst believe” – getting right to the heart of the matter.
The man had faith enough to go to Him.
He had faith enough to believe it might be possible.
But did he believe that He actually would – for him and his son?
I might have faith that Jesus heals, forgives, performs miracles, grants visions and spiritual gifts, and that he blesses with grace and he rescues and saves.
But do I really believe that he will do these things for me? For my family?
Most of us have developed limiting or false belief systems, in spite of our faith.
It is part of the Fall.
In the field of behavioral development, it’s commonly said that these beliefs are formed in childhood, up until the age of about 7 years old, and remain with us in our subconscious minds which drives many of our thoughts, emotions, and decisions.
Beyond this, we know there are adversarial forces at play whose primary goal is to deceive us.
Elder Klebingat said, “The adversary...will seek access to your heart to tell you lies—lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed in you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme.”
We might be holding beliefs or be tempted to believe that we are worthless, unlovable, unworthy, an idiot, pathetic, dirty, not respected or respectable, not appreciated or worth appreciating, not smart enough, not wealthy enough, not secure enough, not good looking enough, a bad spouse, a bad parent, and so on.
Consider how these harmful beliefs, these lies, might be the cause of our internal torment as paralleled to the boy’s external suffering – how they can “tear us,” “gnash us,” cause us to “pine away.”
“Ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him.” Consider how believing these things might cast us into the fire of anger, fear, reactivity, comparison, jealousy, impatience, unrighteous dominion, harsh words towards ourselves and others; or into the waters of depression, shame, complacency, apathy, hopelessness – to try to destroy us.
We don’t know what beliefs this father had that might have caused him to cry out, through tears, “help thou mine unbelief.”
But we do know how Jesus responded.
“…he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.”
Mark 9:25-27
I look at this story as a miraculous healing of two people, both father and son.
The son had the obvious, visible, and terrible external torment.
The father might have been suffering with a less apparent, less visible, less obvious, internal torment. When Jesus healed the boy, he also answered the father’s desperate plea to “help his unbelief;” to heal his unbelief.
The child seemed as if he was dead, and Jesus took him by the hand and he arose.
Perhaps in the father’s heart, and in ours, that false belief or unbelief dies, and Jesus, taking us by the hand will lift us up into truth and new life – true belief about who we really are, about who God really is, and our divine connection and relationship with him.
This kind of healing happens in the heart and soul. A miraculous healing of the body is no greater wonder than the miraculous healing of the heart. We are blessed with grace and light that casts out the darkness.
It achieves the result John declared, “that believing ye might have life through his name.”
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Pres Nelson gave us this charge:
“Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ ‘giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’”
I’ll quote and echo the words of Moroni:
“Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?”
- Mormon 9:16
Jesus is a God of miracles.
The miracle of creation. The miracle of redemption. The miracle of forgiveness, of healing, of restoration. The miracles of salvation, resurrection, and exaltation. I am in awe of Him.