Witnessing a Miracle
In 2 Kings 6 in today’s Bible reading* we see two miracles.
When God created the world, He put some things into motion, things that would naturally happen. Deists believe that God created the universe and, like a clock, wound it up and set it on the mantle to run by itself. Theists, on the other hand, believe that God involves Himself in the universe He created.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen an iron ax head float. I would bet that you haven’t. Iron — unless it’s shaped like a boat hull — doesn’t float. So when Elisha caused an iron ax head to float, (2 Kings 6:6) it was a miracle –something out of the ordinary.
When Elisha asked God to open his servant’s eyes (2 Kings 6:17) and he saw an army and fiery chariots, God provided a miraculous vision.
Application
Just because you and I haven’t seen a floating ax head, doesn’t mean it can never happen. And even if we’ve never seen a glimpse of the spiritual realm to see warring angels around us doesn’t mean it can’t or doesn’t exist.
The Bible doesn’t argue for the existence of miracles. It assumes that God is sovereign, including being sovereign over the world He created. It assumes that God can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, however, He wants. If God wants to float an ax head, He can do it. If He wants to reveal the spiritual realm to an ordinary human being, He can do it.
As you read the Bible, you’ll encounter things that you don’t typically encounter in the world we live in. And that’s OK. A miracle — by definition — is something that’s out of the ordinary.
Are miracles real? Absolutely! Do miracles happen today? Absolutely! But because they’re miracles, (“not ordinary” things) don’t expect them to ordinarily happen.
That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t ask for miracles! In Acts 28, Paul, Dr. Luke and others find themselves shipwrecked on an island. Dr. Luke (who wrote the book of Acts) tells us that Paul miraculously heals Publius’ father. (Acts 28:8) And Dr. Luke also tells us that villagers bring their sick people and they are cured. (Acts 28:9) Your Bible translation may not note the different words, but Dr. Luke uses completely different Greek words to account for what happens.
Again, it’s good to ask for God to miraculously involve Himself in your world, your life, and your circumstances. But don’t throw in the towel in your faith if He doesn’t do things the way that you want Him to.
Remember, God is God. And you aren’t.
Sometimes things don’t look the way that we would expect. Just wait until we look at the parables of the Kingdom of God when we get to the New Testament’s Gospels!
* Chapters covered in today’s reading:
2 Kings 5
2 Kings 6
2 Kings 7
2 Kings 8:1-15