Miracles, signs, and wonders

Christmas Day is almost here and we have been talking about miracles, signs, and wonders. A lot has happened over the last two years, but God is calling us to continue to believe and expect Him to do amazing things in our lives. Today, we will define what a miracle, a sign, and a wonder are so that we will know when one happens in our lives.

1. A miracle is ‘an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and therefore must be considered to be supernatural in its origin’.

In other words, the natural laws are bent for it to happen. For example, someone being raised from the dead. In the Greek New Testament, there is no specific word for ‘miracle’. Instead, the Greeks used the words ‘sign’, ‘wonder’, ‘power’, or even ‘work’ when speaking of supernatural phenomena. Unlike the English word ‘miracle’, which has a very broad meaning that is sometimes abused, these words have specific nuances to them.

2. A sign is a miracle that points beyond itself to God.

If you think about it, in the natural, a sign is something placed before us to give us direction. Spiritually, the word sign is usually used of miracles that direct or bring people to God. For example, Moses proved that God had sent him by using the staff that became a snake. Therefore, for God, a ‘sign-miracle’ is not about excitement, but rather, the sign has a meaning and points to God. Jesus’ coming to earth through miraculous birth is a sign that God loves us. God typically affirms His love for us through signs.

3. The word ‘wonder’ translates from a Greek word that denotes something unusual that causes the beholder to marvel.

A wonder describes the awe or amazement that results from particular miracles. In John 9, when the man born blind was given sight, his neighbours were in shock. They asked, “Isn’t this the one who begged?” (John 9:9). Wonders usually follow ‘signs’, but sometimes they precede the sign. Whereas a sign appeals to the understanding, a wonder appeals to the imagination and helps us to know God. Even us as believers need wonders, especially during difficult seasons. They remind us of His power and that He still intervenes in impossible situations.

In partnership with a sign, a wonder helps to point us to God. Sometimes a prophetic word or a word of knowledge is a wonder because there is no other way that the person could have known of what they spoke.

Miracles, signs, and wonders are not about entertainment, but rather, they are about God. Christmas is a time set aside to celebrate Christ’s birth, and although we know He wasn’t born in December, it’s a time we have redeemed to celebrate God’s miracle power. As Spirit-filled believers, we embrace the mysterious and unexplainable and honour the supernatural.

Faith in the God of signs, wonders, and miracles is our inheritance as believers. God is calling us to look to Him in hopeful expectation to performs miracles, signs, and wonders in our lives as well as in the lives of those around us. If things are looking difficult this Christmas, remember that Jesus is the miracle that prompts us to confess that “all things are possible to those who believe”.