We live in a world filled with abundance and blessed with scientific and technological advances that could not have been anticipated even a decade ago. We have direct access to the whole human race and can see far beyond our solar system with telescopes and satellites. The devices we hold in our hands can interpret languages, track heart rates, and connect us to anyone anywhere. And yet, we often look at the secular world around us and see nothing remarkable, nothing extraordinary, and nothing we would characterize as miraculous. We read the scriptural accounts of Noah building an ark, Moses parting the Red Sea, and the Savior turning water to wine. In those stories, we see miracles!
Have miracles ceased? In the closing chapters of the Book of Mormon, Moroni answers this question by quoting his father Mormon. “My beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister to the children of men” (Moroni 7:29).
So often we speak of miracles as unexplainable spectacular events that defy human understanding, rather than the sacred and ever-present manifestations of the power of God in our lives. Miracles are “the natural results of the Messiah’s presence among men” (Bible Dictionary, “Miracles”) like the softening of a hardened heart, the strength to endure a difficult trial, or the peace that is felt in times of grief or pain. Are these not pure manifestations of God’s power in our lives? These are miracles!
“My beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister to the children of men”
Moroni 7:29
While serving a mission in Spain, my daughter Lauren has observed the marvelous manifestation of God’s power in her life. We noted several months into her mission that she started to refer to many of her experiences as “miracles.” A chance encounter in a park or greeting on the street was seen as a manifestation of God’s power in her life. As she observed one miracle, another would present itself. The more she saw, the more pure manifestations were witnessed. Week after week we were astonished by the increase in sacred accounts and uplifted by the sometimes-spectacular nature of her experiences.
On one occasion, she and her companion were on their way to meet a new friend. Somehow, they ended up going in the wrong direction only to find they were thirty minutes away from their destination. Lauren paused to reorient as her companion, who had been somewhat reticent to do street contacting, boldly decided to speak with a young woman nearby. In that moment, far from their intended destination, a simple conversation led to a beautiful invitation to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A few weeks later, that new friend entered the waters of baptism and received the Holy Ghost. This pure manifestation of God’s power might have easily been dismissed as chance, a coincidence, or perhaps luck rather than what it truly was . . . a miracle!
The Lord declares boldly, “…I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever…” (2 Nephi 27:23). Miracles have not ceased. They are all around us if we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and faith to believe.
The Lord continues, “I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith” (2 Nephi 27:23). That key component of faith forms the foundation upon which a tower of miracles can stand. The Lord declared, “I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name” (D&C 35:8). It is our faith that precedes the miracle and our belief on His name that allows us to truly experience the fullness of those miracles!
There are miracles all around us! From the simple to the spectacular, manifestations of God’s power can be seen in chance meetings, changed hearts, and the ministering of angels in time of need. We may not witness the parting of a sea or the building of an ark, but we most certainly can see miracles in our own lives as we look to Him. We will witness the return of a prodigal son, see the hand of the Lord in our life, be delivered from those things that hold us captive, and receive answers to our prayers. And while such miracles may not be as they were for the brother of Jared, Alma and Amulek, or Joseph Smith, they are no less pure manifestations of God’s power in our lives. They are miracles.
May we see miracles every day as we witness the hand of God in our lives. For He is a God of Miracles!!