"But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” (Matthew 9:8)
I once read a true story about a brilliant 19th Century French artist by the name of Gustave Dore. He lost his passport while he was in a foreign country. When he got to the border, he explained his problem to the immigration official and told him who he was . . . the brilliant French painter. The boarder official handed him a piece of paper along with a pencil and said, “Draw a picture of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background.” Within a few minutes the artist produced an exact replica of the city, convincing the boarder authority he was exactly who he claimed to be, just by what he drew.
This is precisely why Jesus performed miracles while on this earth, that is, to reveal to mankind that He was exactly who He said He was. We must never fail to remember that the ultimate purpose of everything Jesus said and did was to glorify His Father in heaven (John 17:1). It is important to understand and grasp this truth for in doing so we will learn to discern the difference between true miracle workers, and false miracle workers . . . between genuine miracles and black magic. All miracles are not from Jesus. Yes, there will be false teachers who claim they are the Messiah by the words they will speak and the things they will do. Jesus Himself warned about impostures that would go forth in His name (Matthew 7:21-23). A simple test can be seen if someone is performing miracles in Jesus’ name, yet preaching or teaching things that are unbiblical. This is not from God as the Son of God will never contradict the word of God.
Discerning between true and false miracle workers has never been more important and necessary than it is for the day in which we live. This is because falsehood and those who live anti-christ are more prevalent in our culture today. One might ask, why were miracles so common in biblical days and not as much today? To answer this question, we must remember two of the main reasons for God giving miracles in the first place: (1) to authenticate the person of Jesus, and (2) to reveal Jesus as Messiah. Both or these truths were accomplished through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, and through the written Word of God that we now have. This does not mean God no longer performs miracles. He can and does still glorify Himself in this way.
Yes, we must still trust God for the miraculous, believing that He is still in the miracle-working business and He always will be. We can be confident that God still performs miracles, because God will always glorify Himself.
Prayer: “Heavenly Father, Thank You for revealing Your glory in my life through Your miraculous ways. Thank you for the awesome miracle of salvation which is the greatest revelation of all. Help me to never take the cross and resurrection for granted. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
