I have have had the privilege of witnessing miracles, of many kinds, throughout my life. They are things I hold very sacred, and don’t share them lightly. Nor should you.
Mind you, as we have been studying the Old Testament this year in Gospel Doctrine, it is apparent that those people saw all sorts of crazy, ‘epic’ super-miracles. Plagues, parting the sea, manna from heaven, flying fiery serpent bites – and we are only through the book of Numbers! We haven’t even gotten to the deadly hemorrhoids, (link) or the sun standing still. (link)
But the more I learn about these super miracles, the less impressed I am by them. I’m not so sure that they were all that effective. Let me give you some examples from different volumes of scripture to make the point:
Who was rescued by God in dramatic fashion, led through the parted Red Sea, fed by miraculous manna every day for 40 years, but still couldn’t ever figure out that they needed to be obedient and grateful? The Children of Israel.
Who saw Christ walk on water, feed the multitudes, heal the sick, cast out demons, calm the raging tempest, but still betrayed him to death? Judas Iscariot.
Who had personal visits from angels, were protected from death at sea, and zapped by their little brother – just for effect, but still rebelled against God? Laman & Lemuel.
Who was visited by, and ordained by John the Baptist, was involved in the translation of the Book of Mormon, and yet still walked away from the Church for a time? Oliver Cowdery
My point is that many people have witnessed amazing things, but it doesn’t seem to have much impact on their testimonies. And that, my friends, is the part that really matters.
Even Jesus seemed a bit frustrated with the people who were following him after they ate from the miraculous loaves and fishes.
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. (John 6:26)
It seems to me that the super miracles throughout the scriptures didn’t really have a whole lot of positive impact on the people who witnessed them. Even those times that they did, the impact was usually short lived.
Yet people (we) still watch for them, and get excited about the prospect of witnessing one. We like super miracles, and they make us feel good, we like to point at them to justify and bolster our faith.
There are several problems with super miracles:
• Instead of accepting them as proof of God’s power, people are forever trying to explain how the miracle happened, devoid of God’s influence. Scientist are constantly coming up with new theories for how the Red Sea parted, or what manna really was, etc.
• When people base their testimonies on miracles, they need more and more. President George Q. Cannon said, “It has been a matter of remark among those who have had experience in this Church that where men have been brought into the Church by such manifestations, it has required a constant succession of them to keep them in the Church; their faith has had to be constantly strengthened by witnessing some such manifestations” (link)
• People have short memories. “The viewing of signs or miracles is not a secure foundation for conversion. Scriptural history attests that people converted by signs and wonders soon forget them and again become susceptible to the lies and distortions of Satan and his servants.” (Dallin Oaks, The Lord’s Way)
• Highly visible miracles target the wrong audience. I have seen the “big” miracles, too, but I have learned that they are usually sent to reinforce – usually after a trial of faith – not to convert. Brigham Young said, “Miracles, or these extraordinary manifestations of the power of God, are not for the unbeliever; they are to console the Saints, and to strengthen and confirm the faith of those who love, fear, and serve God, and not for outsiders.”
Do you know what I like? The little miracles. The small, quiet miracles that can change the course of a life, or the hardness of a heart.
I like the little miracles, like a child’s fever breaking after receiving a blessing. An answer to a prayer. A confirmation of truth from the Holy Ghost. An eighteen year-old kid from Utah, speaking fluent Mandarin. A pained soul finding hope and peace though repentance.
Those are the types of miracles that happen all around us, all the time. As a bishop, I was privileged to witness such miracles on a regular basis. I miss it. Has the day of miracles ceased? Absolutely not.
Those “little” miracles are the miracles that matter.
Those are the miracles that stick in our hearts, and change lives.
President Cannon followed up, saying, “but where they have been convinced by the outpouring of the spirit of God, … they have been more likely to stand, more likely to endure persecution and trial than those who have been convinced through some supernatural manifestation.”
Elder Oaks followed up as well, “In contrast to the witness of the Spirit, which can be renewed from time to time as needed by a worthy recipient, the viewing of a sign or the experiencing of a miracle is a one-time event that will fade in the memory of its witness and can dim in its impact upon him or her.”
It is those small miracles of the Spirit that build our faith and strengthen our testimonies.
As I have studied the Old Testament, I have often wondered why they got all the “cool” miracles – prophets calling down fire from the sky – languages being confounded, etc. I try and keep up with Church News, but I can’t recall ever reading about President Monson cursing someone with leprosy, or calling down fire from the sky. I’m sure somebody would have posted it on Facebook – a thousand times.
So here is the big question: Why did all these crazy things happen back then, but we don’t see the same dramatic super miracles nowadays?
Perhaps it is because the Lord needs us to be a stronger people.
For the best talk on miracles that you will ever read, check out this talk from Elder Dallin Oaks talk “Miracles,” that he gave at a CES Fireside back in 2001. Everything you ever wanted to know about miracles, and some stuff you never thought of. (link)
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A car with a broken fuel pump running hundreds of miles at about 50 mpg when it had ,declined to about 5 mpg as we ran out of funds with hundreds of miles to go, a car with a broken generator running through the night with lights on, many other similar miracles that defied rules of physics at times, all were common in my life when I was in the stewardship of a man who failed to maintain cars and homes. Now I am more than happy with mild miracles that ease my life, like love notes from Heaven.
I commented yesterday on FB having only read the title not the whole post. Well, I’ve read your post now and it is excellent as always. I agree with all that you presented. I thought briefly about your last question, “Why did all those crazy things happen back then,” just off the top of my head I tend to think it was the only way that God could get their attention. Only a rare few could read or write.(scribes) They had no books, scriptures for the masses,TV, internet, schooling, texting, radio, etc. They didn’t have a lot of leisure time for study, life was hard and one did everything one could to just acquire the barest of necessities to stay alive. We have so much available to us today in regard to knowing who Christ is, was and will forever be and we have the time to study at length, meditate and pray to acquire testimonies. As you said, it’s more important for us to take the time to recognize the many small miracles that we are blessed with continually instead of hoping for the ‘Big Super’ miracle, although I think some of those are happening too…you just have to recognize them. Sorry I’m not very eloquent so I hope this makes sense.
I really enjoy reading and pondering your posts. I agree with your thought that maybe we feel miracles aren’t as prevalent because the Lord needs us to be a stronger people. However, I also feel that we do have miracles that happen all around us, although sometimes we discount them as being a coincidence or due to “luck”. My daughter is serving a mission in a foreign country and was recently robbed, which was pretty scary for her. My first response was to think why did this happen because we are praying for her safety every day, but instantly my next thought was, maybe because we are praying for her safety every day, she was okay. She lost some material things, but she was not harmed. What a blessing to know she was looked after and she is okay.
There is no dispute that miracles happen all around us. The difference is that if your daughter had been robbed in Old Testament times, the robber would have been instantly killed by a bolt of lightning.
The first thing I thought of was what Ashley Miller covered in her comments, how the Nephite/Lamanite people could see undeniable miracles, yet so quickly be influenced by Satan to explain them away or turn against what had miraculously occurred.
But what would happen if we saw super-miracles which were attributable to Pres. Monson or the Church? I think the ministry of Nephi 3 tells us what would happen. Nephi’s preaching actually paralleled the ministry of Jesus to a high degree. Note in 3 Nephi 7:15 that Nephi “had power given unto him that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ…”
3 Nephi 7:19-20 tells us what we need to know: “And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people.”
“And the people SAW it, and did WITNESS of it and were ANGRY WITH HIM BECAUSE OF HIS POWER…”
Great point. The public response and ridicule would be outrageous. Good think next time He is coming with power!
I just talked about this in my last talk I gave. At the time of Christ, there were others that claimed to be the Messiah. In fact- others that were able to perform identical miracles. (Satan AlWAYS creates a false replica of truth) Jerusalem and the area surrounding is not a large area- so the talk was widespread and Christ was not considered that special. So when Christ turns to Peter and asks who everyone is saying he is- its important. Then when he asks Peter who he thinks he is- its super important. Peter would have to have gotten a testimony of who Christ was through the Holy Ghost. The same way we all do. There were at least 10 other guys claiming to be the same and doing the same thing Jesus was. Things changed when he started raising people from the dead. We see a shift. NO ONE was doing that. His followers increased by the thousands, and we get him entering Jerusalem with a new following. People get a false idea that those early church members had it easier because Christ was with them. They needed to have faith too. They needed to listen to the spirit and discern.
Yesterday I gave a lesson on prayer. Being able to pray to a Father in Heaven that hears us is a miracle– and it’s happening all the time.
I’ve been trying to read through the Old Testament for longer than I care to admit, and I’m also struck by how different the children of Israel were. They seemed almost fickle.
One thing that has stuck out to me is the difference between what challenges us to remain steadfast — today we hear, over and over, that when things get hard, just endure! Hold fast to the rod! When things are at the worst, it seems like it is easier for us to doubt our faith and turn from God (hence so many lessons, etc on pressing forward). When things are going well, it is easy(-er) to stay true to the faith.
In contrast, it seems like the Old Testament children of Israel had the most difficult time staying faithful in times of plenty. As soon as things got hard, they knew — even expected — the Lord to come to the rescue. And He did, time and again. This makes it seem to me that they always knew He was God, but they took Him for granted (and turned from Him)… until they needed Him, again.
Do you think that kind of attitude is one that comes from ‘big miracles’? I would hate to live through manifestations like the ones you mentioned — ones that leave me with no doubt — and then, knowing, turn from the Lord, due to entitlement or any other made up issue.
I like the way we have it, now. 🙂 When you were talking about little miracles, I thought of this video: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-08-013-daily-bread-experience?lang=eng
In it, Elder Christofferson talks about receiving a daily spiritual allotment, much like the manna that fed the Israelites, instead of the big miracle he may have started out asking for. I don’t know what I would do without my daily spiritual miracles from Heaven.
And I think one of the greatest miracles of the Old Testament is that we can still apply and learn from those miracles, today.
(End novel — sorry!)
Another thought — little miracles = personalized miracles. Personalized miracles encourage a personal relationship with Christ. A personal relationship with Christ is the surest foundation, ever. 🙂
I am fully converted to the Gospel and a super miracle would do little to add to the faith that I already have, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to witness one. I don’t need to witness one to know the Gospel is true or that the priesthood is real, but I still want to.
I feel exactly the same way.
I’ve been thinking about a related topic a lot the past couple weeks that I’m going to convert into the discussion on super miracles. A couple reasons why I’m hesitant to want to witness a super miracle.
1. Super miracles require some type of personal refining to increase our faith and I’m not sure if I’m ready/willing/wanting to experience a tragedy/death of loved one/disease/other unfortunate event. Not all super miracles were preceded by a great trial but some were. You don’t need to raise someone from the dead if they aren’t dead. You don’t need the seas to part if you aren’t being chased through the wilderness by a bloodthirsty army of Egyptians. Super miracles come when there is no other hope.
2. When I’ve had a significant spiritual moment in my life it’s almost always followed by increased temptation (opposition in all things). Am I spiritually prepared to withstand whatever Satan throws my way to bring me back down from such an experience? Can I be trusted with such an experience? Am I ready for increased accountability?
This was a great way to end my sabbath thanks you
I look back at my Mormon pioneer ancestors, how did 20,000 people come to this desert with limited water and very limited food and they did not starve!??!?!? That to me is a great miracle.
I have had the small miracles that show me God loves me and is aware of my trials and my strivings to be his disciple. They strengthen my testimony and reassure me of his love. I am so grateful for the little miracles in my life. Thank you for this post.
I wholeheartedly agree with the gist of the comments thus far. However, I am reminded of the prophecy of Jeremiah that the time is soon coming that we will see even greater super miracles than those of Moses.
(Old Testament | Jeremiah 16:14 – 15)
14 ¶ Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
So if the super miracles don’t do any good, why did the Lord do them in the Old Testament? What changed?
(My guess is that it is to *show us* that they don’t do any good. Also in almost every case they are part of a larger symbol/lesson for us, e.g. going in and out of the Red Sea is a symbol of the baptism of the house of Israel…)
The miracle of life. To hold that little bundle of joy for the first time, nothing like it.
Strange how something that happens 300,000 times A DAY is still miraculous to us.
Christ performed many miracles documented in the New Testament. He often told the people that received the miracle to not tell anyone, but word spread like wildfire. Some were believing and some not. I have experienced many miracles in my life and in the lives of my children. Those of us in the family that are believers definitely feel the love of God in our lives and those that don’t believe, still don’t believe. Mighty Miracles do not change the opinion of the the unbelieving and neither do the smaller miracles. I am so grateful that I recognize the LTB’s in my life!
I guess I should take the time to ask myself each day if I have been witnessing and appreciating miracles in my life. I think that seeing such miracles makes for a happier day and not seeing them means I’m needing to change my focus.
Speaking of miracles. A young lady in our stake -(one of my YW from my days as a YW president) just got her mission call. It is to an area in South America that her Mother grew up in. Her Mother faced many hardships immigrating to America, and she was so devastated leaving her family behind. It was a teary day for many in our Stake as she read her call. Nothing short of a miracle. Huzzah!!!!
True conversion is an interesting process because one would think that there would be conversion after witnessing a miracle of any size..but we know that true conversion only comes through the witness of the Holy ghost.
I loved that quote from Brigham Young! The Lord has been so wonderful about supporting and sustaining me through times that were difficult. He is my friend, and the little nudges he gives to let me know he sees me and loves me are miracle enough!
This was SO good! Thank you for enlightening and uplifting my Sabbath!
Modern miracles…..
Seeing a photo of the first stake presidency on my mission a couple of years ago, all of them standing. the miracle, one of them asked me to baptize his daughter as the last baptism I performed on my mission. Why? Because he had polio as a teen and his legs are smaller than my forearms.
Holding the 3 day old FOTFOML this morning (number 4). the miracle? His mother was a teenager…, and lived.
Holding the 4 month old FOTFOML for the first time last weekend. the miracle? he was supposed to share a birthday with his cousin mentioned above.
1989…I fully expected to end my mortal probation opening the door to Eastern Europe and western Asia to the gospel in a protracted conflict. The miracle….48 hours, no shots fired, and the door was opened.
there are lots of miracles, and yes you are right, it is the small ones that really matter.
My Bishop of many years ago called these little miracles you describe LTBs – Little Testimony Builders. We have a lot of LTBs in our lives. It is good for us to recognize them! Thanks for the reminder.
My husband and I were just talking about this last night in preparation for his lesson to our ward’s youth today. If you need another example, take the end of the book of Helaman and the beginning of 3 Nephi. There were miracles all over the place: Nephi’s prophecy of the chief judge’s murder, famine instead of war, Samuel the Lamanite’s sermon (they let him talk that long and NONE of the arrows or stones hit him? Miracle!), the predicted signs actually happening. What’s interesting is people’s reactions to these huge miracles. Some discount them and say that the prophets may have gotten a few things right after predicting so many things, others deny that they actually happened, others believe for a time but eventually fall away, but just a few use these miracles to turn to the Lord and gain a sure testimony (like the five guys wrongly imprisoned for the judge’s murder in Helaman 9:39). While a miracle might turn you to the right path, it’s up to you to keep that testimony strong through those quiet witnesses. Pres. Packer’s most recent GC talk illustrated this beautifully.
“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” Great post!
Great article,the greatest miracle IS the daily companionship of a member of the Godhead. The way I see it is like this: If one member of the Godhead can stand to be around you on a daily basis, then chances are that the other two will also accept you and want you in their presence. Hence, when I feel the Spirit in my life I am reminded that this is God’s way of telling me that I stand accepted before Him and will dwell with Him someday. What greater miracle can I ask for?
Great post!