Miracles abound in the lives of faithful followers of Christ today.
Don’t suggest that miracles are simply coincidences or good luck
Miracles are worked through the power of faith.
Miracles can come as answers to prayers. They are not always what we ask for or what we desire.
There are laws decreed in the heavens and we are always subject to them.
Just because the answer to a prayer doesn’t match what we want doesn’t indicate that we were insufficiently faithful.
Peace amidst stress, loss, or confusion is a miracle.
“Come down from the cross” the crowds jeered at Calvary. He could have performed that miracle but He knew the end from the beginning and He was determined to be faithful to His Father.
As the early Apostles followed Jesus Christ and heard Him teach the gospel, they witnessed many miracles. They saw that “the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
I love that having the gospel preached to the poor was listen among those miracles.
Many of you have witnessed miracles, more than you realize. They may seem small in comparison to Jesus raising the dead. But the magnitude does not distinguish a miracle, only that it came from God. Some suggest that miracles are simply coincidences or sheer luck. But the prophet Nephi condemned those who would “put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain.”
Watch when people deny miracles. How often are they also promoting their own expertise?
Miracles are worked through the power of faith, as President Nelson so powerfully taught us in the last session. The prophet Moroni exhorted the people, “If there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.”
When the people have no faith they wouldn’t recognize a miracle even when the Lord plainly performed one.
Miracles can come as answers to prayer. They are not always what we ask for or what we expect, but when we trust in the Lord, He will be there, and He will be right. He will suit the miracle to the moment we need it.
There are times we hope for a miracle to heal a loved one, to reverse an unjust act, or to soften the heart of a bitter or disillusioned soul. Looking at things through mortal eyes, we want the Lord to intervene, to fix what is broken. Through faith, the miracle will come, though not necessarily on our timetable or with the resolution we desired. Does that mean we are less than faithful or do not merit His intervention? No. We are beloved of the Lord. He gave His life for us, and His Atonement continues to release us from burdens and sin as we repent and draw close to Him.
These constant blessings are more important than receiving answers that make sense to us.
The Lord has reminded us, “Neither are your ways my ways.” He offers, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”—rest from worry, disappointment, fear, disobedience, concern for loved ones, for lost or broken dreams. Peace amidst confusion or sorrow is a miracle. Remember the Lord’s words: “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” The miracle is that Jesus Christ, the Great Jehovah, the Son of the Highest, is responding with peace.
Rest from concern for lost or broken dreams is truly a miracle.
“Come down from the cross,” the crowd of nonbelievers jeered at Him on Calvary. He could have performed such a miracle. But He knew the end from the beginning, and He intended to be faithful to His Father’s plan. That example should not be lost on us.
To us in times of trial He has said, “Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.” That, brothers and sisters, is the miracle promised to us all.
The miracle that is most crucial for each of us is also completely guaranteed for each of us—there is no question of if it is the Lord’s will for us, only of whether we will choose to be faithful and endure.
Look for these heaven-sent blessings in your life as you “seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.”
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