What Do Miracles Look Like?

God still does miracles today; do you believe that? In this and every season, as a church, we are challenging ourselves to stand in faith for more of the miraculous. We have seen incredible deliverance, healing, and provisions in the past. More recently, God has mercifully and graciously turned certain deathly situations around such that some of our members who medically speaking shouldn’t be alive are still here with us. God is a miracle worker, and he has not retired. He is still in the business of saving people in ways inexplicable in the natural.

We are currently studying the book of Jonah. Jonah had an incredible escape from the storm and the raging seas. God answered his cry for help in his distress. When his life was literally ebbing away, in the nick of time, God provided a fish to swallow him. (Jonah 1:17; 2:7-10). He most definitely did not expect the miracle to take that form. I think we often don’t know what miracles look like, so when God sends them, it does not look like what we had imagined.

Have you heard about this fictitous story? “A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you." The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So the rowboat went on.

Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the motorboat went on. Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.
 
Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!" To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"

I believe we often experience miracles that we don’t attribute to God. We sometimes call them coincidences. God works out miraculous situations in the most natural ways. When a leafy plant covered Jonah to ease his discomfort from the heat of the sun, Jonah was very happy about the plant, but he probably just thought it was natural (Jonah 4:6). It was later we read, that God made the plant spring up “overnight” (Jonah 4:10). Yes, it’s natural for plants to grow, but there is nothing natural about a leafy plant springing up overnight, enough to provide proper shade for Jonah. Even what we consider natural, like a plant sprouting and growing, is pretty amazing. We can only observe it, its God who works his wonders to make the plant grow.

Let’s watch out for naturally supernatural experiences. Let’s watch out for “overnight miracles”. Miracles that happen in the nick of time. Let’s be like Jonah and cry out to God in our distress. Even if you feel it’s God who put you in distress in the first place, be like Jonah who still called upon him. Don’t say “there is no point, I am suffering the consequences of my actions.” There is always a point, God is a “gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 4:2b). His ultimate aim is not punitive, but redemptive. He will make a way for you too. What do miracles look like? Sometimes, it looks pretty natural!