No, It’s NOT a Miracle!

If the physical laws of our world are not defied, it's not a miracle! If it is "survived", it's not a miracle! If it's Godless, it's not a miracle!

These days just about everything awful with an eventual good outcome is deemed a miracle. The Bible is rife with the documentation of real miracles. Yet the words “miracle” and “miracles” are found only 10 and 27 times, respectively, in the entire Bible. On the contrary, our world even as it denies, mocks, and even blasphemes the Holy Bible and the God of it, runs to claim and proclaim “miracle” for the most mundane miseries we all experience and endure. And those silly claims are NEVER attended with the specific name of the miracle worker. Moreover, they rarely mention “God” as the miracle worker. But even if they did, the question remains, “which God/god performed the miracle?”

News headlines declare, “'Miracle' student survived his body being frozen solid” (Andrew Buncombe, January 20, 2016). The subtitle goes on to say, “The 26-year-old collapsed on a night when it was -20C”. Just based on these words, it can be said, no, its not a miracle. “Survived”, “collapsed”, along with “frozen solid” are all indicators of, and describe, what is expected in this terrible situation. Miracles defy the natural laws of our world. These are all well-within the realm of natural. Justin Smith claims, with both of his little fingers and a number of toes amputated, “I consider myself a miracle”. Dear Justin, the word “miracle” does not apply. No, it’s not a miracle! But I am happy for you! I’m glad that you did not die! I’m glad that you survived! It’s awesome! It’s great! It’s cool! It’s even wonderful! But… no, it’s NOT a miracle!

Justin’s story involved freezing temperatures. I now tell you a story, involving intense, extreme heat and fire, which describe a genuine miracle! This account is given in Daniel 3:17-28:

               If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Though cast into a burning fiery furnace, observe the truly miraculous for Daniel’s three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: 1. They had no hurt; 2. The fire had no power upon their bodies; 3. Not a single strand of their hair was singed; 4. Their coats were wholly unchanged/no soot, completely unburnt; 5. The smell of fire had not passed onto them; 6. The fire burnt off the restraints with absolute accuracy and precision such that not even a single cell on their bodies was adversely impacted; they were cast in bound and now they are loose and walking and this in the midst of the fire; and 7. They were graced with, and protected by, the literal and physical presence  of their Miracle Worker, the Son of God, a preincarnation of the God-Man, the Lord Jesus.

Notice the Bible’s true miracle here does not include the elements of first to sixth-degree burns, doctors, coma, amputated appendages, lying lifeless, unconscious bodies, being burnt to a crisp and carbon, and missing heartbeats! The fire burnt everything in its path including the Daniel’s friends’ enemies and the extraneous. The most mighty men in Nebuchadnezzar’s army that took them up to the burning fiery furnace were killed by the heat and flames at the periphery of the furnace; they were not in the core of it as the men they cast there. They were rushed by the urgency of the king’s commandment, and it appears, because of this, PPE (personal protective equipment) was not worn by them, not that the latter would have proven effective. The furnace was exceedingly hot! It was seven times hotter than it was meant/designed to be heated or ever was heated!

Neither Smith not Buncombe names their “miracle worker” anywhere in the entire article. Also, observe that God was not featured in the slightest as an integral part and power of their earthly lives and eternal future. In stark and dramatic contrast, the young men: 1. Named and identified their Miracle Worker and this even before He performed the miracle – “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace” [emphasis added]. They effortlessly declare Him because He is their heartbeats and their breaths! 2. Were wholeheartedly ready and willing to die for the honor and glory of their God. God is central to their entire story! “But if not” expressed this possible fate, one they fully accepted; and 3. Purposed in their hearts that they will not serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods, nor worship the golden image. Their hearts and minds were saturated with their Saviour! This holy and honourable stand they took for their God, the God of Israel, was the very reason a great and grand miracle became a necessity, and this as assessed and executed by their God, the Son of God, the sinless Almighty Lord Jesus Christ!

Nonetheless, for a moment, we will humor Smith and Buncombe and further consider and analyze their claim. It seems their unidentified “miracle worker” is quite inadequate. He, she, or it was wholly incapable of preventing “extracorporeal membrane oxygenation”, a 15-day stint in a coma, and all of Justin’s other injuries, pain and suffering! In total contradistinction, the burning fiery furnace had no power on Daniel’s friends! This defies the nature and character of heat and fire! As these men sought to honor the one and only true God, that true and omnipotent (all powerful) God honoured them with this miracle. “Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before Me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from Me; for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:30; [emphasis added]). These men were in midst of saying a big chubby “NO” to idols and idolatry! They were in the course of doing the most important of God’s business and will – believing and worshipping Him and Him alone, to the full and uncompromising rejection and refutation of false gods! They could have erroneously, blindly, and cowardly, like countless professing “Christians”, said: 1. There is just one God and fall before the golden image; 2. In Chaldean language, God has a different name and begin worshipping Nebuchadnezzar’s gods; 3. There is no evil in worshipping idols as long as the worshippers genuinely follow their god, and are good people, and then join the masses in idolatry. But they did not! There is only one true God, the name of the Lord Jesus translates to the Lord Jesus in every language of the world, and idolatry/unbelief, not porn, or prostitution, or profanity or Pride, is the greatest evil that is and can be committed against the Holy Triune of the Bible! There is a reason “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” is the first commandment (Exodus 20:3)! And for the record, anyone who subscribes to points 1 to 3, is not a Christian and will not see Heaven!

With true miracles, God is acknowledged and glorified by outsiders and onlookers. Mark 2:12 states, “And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” None of the participants in Smith’s story ever mentions God, not even once. Neither the police officers, nor other first responders, nor his dad, Don Smith, nor the emergency doctor, Dr. Gerald Coleman, speak of God, much less credit Him for doing a miracle. Why? Because nothing here superseded the natural! There was nothing that prompted an amazement and no miracle to ascribe to God or for which to praise Him. In contrast, king Nebuchadnezzar, a witness of this Bible’s miracle, was astonished and he: 1. Declares that the form of the fourth [Man] is like the Son of God; 2. Exalts the God of Israel as the most high God; 3. Glorifies God by saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…”; 4. Acknowledges that God delivered His servants that trusted in Him; and 5. Concedes that God changed his word. Though unsaved/an unbeliever at this time in his life, we see here Nebuchadnezzar responding to the Light, the true Light Christ, who is lighting him, so much so that he is compelled to exalt and glorify Him who is not yet his and to confirm with his very own testimony the miracle wrought before his very own eyes! John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Further observe that this king was zealous to commit murder for his dead gods and yet they, his useless gods, had no power whatsoever to cement the murders that were being committed for them! Those who kill for their god advertise to the world that their god is not only not omnipotent but impotent! He can’t get the job done! They must do it for him.

To all those mentioned, especially by name, in this article we beseech you with love to study and search God’s Word, the Holy Bible, to be able to speak with true knowledge and understanding of all the elements that attend true miracles. But most importantly, we urge you to do so to come to full belief in, and a saving knowledge of, the Lord Jesus. The ubiquitous and inappropriate use of the word “miracle” is a regular occurrence. This article addresses just one example. Feel free to assess and expose false assertions, with God’s Word as the Standard, as detailed in the following (a few other examples):

1.      Gabrielle Giffords 'a Miracle' for Surviving Shot to the Head, Docs Say, Neurosurgeon says "no change is good, and we have no change" (ABC News, January 10, 2011, 9:55 AM).

2.      Horrific death of 'miracle baby' renews calls for foster care changes in B.C. “What happened to (Colby) is unimaginable. There are no words," said Grace Lore, minister of children and family services (Lori Culbert, Published Jul 16, 2024).

3.      Latest MS 'miracle' treatment overshadows the real news Multiple sclerosis was once considered a hopeless disease. Today, drug treatments are highly effective (Kelly Crowe, CBC News, Posted: Jun 11, 2016).

If the laws of the sciences are not violated, it is not a miracle! “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25). How many of His physical laws does He contravene as He walks on the sea that He created? People do not “survive” real miracles; they triumph in and through them! “For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands” (Psalms 92:4).  Miracles are the works of God’s hands! Above all, if it’s Godless, it’s not a miracle!