What About Miracles?
Skeptical people point to the miracles in the Bible as reason for thinking that the Bible is not true. Miracles like the parting of the Red Sea seem too fantastic to be true.
I researched some web sites about the parting of the Red Sea, and some suggested that a strong wind might have blown the waters apart, and the Israelites walked across a hidden reef. Such scientific or natural explanations have the effect of taking God out of the equation. But actually, I’m willing to accept that God had the ability to part the waters. After all, if God created the whole world, then parting the Red Sea would be a relatively simple task.
I too was skeptical about miracles, but as I learned more about the Bible, there were a few things that I noticed.
Miracles didn’t happen all the time. Sometimes, there were hundreds of years between miracles recorded in the Bible.
There are very few spectacular miracles, like the parting of the Red Sea, and a lot of small miracles, like Jesus healing a crippled man.
All miracles had a purpose. In the New Testament, John the apostle used the term ‘signs’ to mean miracles, and all these signs were meant to point to Jesus.
During the time of Moses and Joshua, God performed miracles to show his power and authority to the young nation of Israel and surrounding nations. The ironic thing is that even though the Israelites witnessed the miracles firsthand, they still didn’t take God seriously, and they complained, grumbled, were unappreciative, and drifted away from God.
Tangible proof itself doesn’t always convince people to believe. Even today, people are sometimes skeptical about even tangible evidence, they may be quick to think there’s a conspiracy, or a cover up, etc. So when I read about Biblical miracles, I try to put them in perspective with the overall message and not get hung up on trying to prove them. The miracles actually are not the main point, they are just details to support a broader message.
Next: Jonah Swallowed by a Big Fish
Why Should I Believe in the Bible? 