Do you Believe in Miracles???

A miracle, defined in Webster’s, is an event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event, or one transcending the ordinary laws by which the universe is governed.

I believe in miracles. How could I not, have you met my wife (the only way to explain her marrying me is a miracle!)? But seriously, I do believe in miracles. A lot of people don’t believe in miracles anymore. I’m not sure why many don’t believe. I have a guess it is because many do not want to believe in a higher power. Many people, I assume, do not want to admit there is a supernatural power or entity that can do the unexplained or unimaginable.

Recently, my dad became acutely ill. More specifically, he had a severe cardiac arrhythmia and required defibrillation (an electrical current zipped through his chest to stabilize his heart). He required six shock treatments before his heart responded in the ambulance. Most studies show survival of people that require defibrillation outside of a hospital to be less than 10%. Once at the hospital, the cardiac catherization only showed mild to moderately lower function. However, his neurological status was in great question. Despite having no sedative medicine, four days went by and he was still unresponsive in a coma. Then, the following day he came out of it and spoke. He is now back home and healing, only slightly slowed at this point.

Sometimes being a physician is difficult. When my dad was sick and everyone was asking me “How is he?”, that was one of those difficult times. As the son, all I could answer with was hopeful responses. But as a doctor, I’m trained to see certain factors and signs that give prognostic implications of a patient. Seeing my dad lying comatose in that ICU bed, the doctor in me knew the real possibility of him not leaving the hospital.

But he did. He awoke. Although he had no business to survive this, ultimately he did. Yes, this was most certainly a miracle.

Oh, I hear the pessimists saying, “it was by chance alone.” The longer I am here on the Earth, the less impressed I am with “chance” happenings, and the more sure I am of a divine sovereign presence. As I look back in my life, I can count a couple events that have occurred that I’ve had to decide whether by chance, or by miracle.

In the Bible, God used miracles to demonstrate His power and His presence in Jesus. Similarly, miracles occur today to strengthen the faith of people in Him and so that the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ is proclaimed and glorified.