The Bible is full of miracles: healings, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the lame walking, prophecies, seas dividing, battles won against overwhelming odds, lions’ mouths closing, people being delivered of demons and people being raised from the dead. They are all great stories, but are they just stories? Simply fables of a time long ago? Why don’t we see any of these things today? Perhaps, as some believe, God isn’t in the miracle business anymore. I mean, He does some miracles here and there, but He just doesn’t do those mind-blowing ones anymore. Really?
Here’s my theory. We have two problems here in America. One is a lack of faith. We’ve grown up not seeing great miracles, so we don’t believe in them. We don’t expect them. And two is that we are not on the front lines of the battle. If you think back to all the miracles in the Bible, they happened when God’s people were moving forward, pushing back the enemy lines. From the parting of the Red Sea, to the walls falling down at Jericho, to David defeating Goliath in the Old Testament, to Jesus Himself healing and delivering and raising the dead, to the disciples and apostles who spread the gospel throughout the known world in the New Testament—all of them were pushing back enemy forces, either physical or spiritual.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it (Mark 16:17–20 NIV).
I’ve heard reports from the mission field that would blow your socks off. Stories of people being healed, delivered of demons and even rising from the dead. These things happen today. God never changes, and He promises us that He will confirm His word with signs and wonders. But that means we need to get out there and spread His Word. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to become a missionary. But it does mean you have to use what talents God has given you to help bring as many people to Him as possible.
As a preacher once said, “If you don’t have any wolves, I doubt you’re a sheep.” In other words, Satan’s not going to bother you if you’re no threat to him. You’re only a threat to him when you join the battle and begin forcing back enemy lines. And when you do that, watch out! God will make Himself known to you like never before, and He just may perform some grand miracle that will blow your mind!
Don’t follow after signs and wonders. Follow God into battle, and the signs and wonders will follow you.
MaryLu Tyndall