Not All Are Miracles

It happens all the time. Someone narrowly avoids a car accident. Another person recovers after surgery. A team wins a big game they were supposed to lose. And without hesitation, someone says it:
​
“It’s a miracle!”

​But here’s the greater truth--those probably aren’t miracles. At least not in the biblical sense. Not in the theological sense.

​Not even close. Somewhere along the way, our culture started using “miracle” to describe anything unusual, fortunate, or emotional. And Christians are very prone to this as well.

And it’s easy to see why—we want to feel that what we’re witnessing is special. But by calling everything a miracle, we’ve quietly stripped the word of its meaning and robbed ourselves of something even greater.

What Actually Is a Miracle?
​In simple terms, a miracle is an act of God that goes beyond or against the natural order of creation. It’s God stepping in directly, suspending or overriding the laws of nature, for a specific purpose.

In Scripture, miracles aren’t just surprising events. They’re signs meant to reveal God’s power, affirm His message, or accomplish His divine purpose.

• Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after four days in the tomb.​

• The parting of the Red Sea.

• Instant healing of a man born blind.

No natural cause could explain those things. They happened only because God Himself willed them to happen.

Here’s What Isn’t a Miracle (Even If It Feels Like One)

• Surviving a serious accident — It's right to thank God for His protection, but unless nature was suspended, this was likely His providence at work through ordinary means—not a miracle.

• Recovering after medical treatment (thank God for doctors and healing—but still within the normal means of His providence).

• Landing that job or winning that game.

God absolutely can guide, protect, and provide in these situations—but that’s called providence, not miracle. He governs and sustains His creation every second of every day. And yes, sometimes His providence is jaw-dropping. But it’s still working through natural means—not outside of them.

What is Providence?
Providence is the theological term for God’s continuous and purposeful involvement in His creation. It refers to how God sustains, governs, and directs all things according to His will, wisdom, and goodness--without violating the natural order. Providence is God's sovereign control and care over all things, guiding them toward His intended purposes.

​Key Aspects of Providence

1. Preservation – God sustains all things in existence (Colossians 1:17).

2. Government – God rules over all events, great and small (Psalm 103:19).

3. Direction – God guides history and individual lives to fulfill His plans (Romans 8:28).

​Not a Miracle
Providence operates through natural laws, ordinary events, and human choices. It’s invisible but constant—like God guiding a ship by the current rather than dropping it from the sky.

Example

• A person recovering from cancer after chemotherapy? That’s providence.

• A person instantly healed with no medical explanation? That may be a miracle.

Why This Distinction Matters
Words matter because they shape how we think about God. If everything is a miracle, then nothing really is.

If we call ordinary blessings “miracles,” we shrink the glory of God’s actual supernatural interventions.

Worse yet, we risk making God’s true miracles seem just as common—or as easy to explain—as a good parking spot or a winning touchdown.

Miracles Are Rare—By Design
In the Bible, miracles don’t happen every day. They often come in clusters during key moments of God’s redemptive plan:

• Moses and the Exodus

• Elijah and Elisha’s ministries

• Jesus and the early Church

​They are signs meant to spark faith, reveal God’s glory, and authenticate His messengers. They were never meant to be everyday occurrences—and they were always meant to point beyond themselves to something greater: the God who reigns.

What’s Better to Say Than Misusing “Miracle”?
Next time something wonderful happens, instead of flippantly calling it a miracle, try this:

• “What a kindness from God.”

• “That’s God’s providence at work.”

• “We’re so thankful for the way God provided.”

• “Amazing how God arranged that.”

These words honor the moment without confusing it with something it isn’t.

And when we do encounter something that truly defies explanation—something that can only be called a miracle—it will stop us in our tracks, just like it should.

​Miracles Still Matter
Miracles still happen, when and where God wills—but they’re rare for a reason. They’re not meant to be background noise in everyday life.

They’re meant to remind us that God rules over everything, including the very laws of nature He created.

Let’s recover that wonder—and use the word “miracle” carefully, truthfully, and worshipfully.

Good theology isn't dry or academic—it’s the means by which we understand, celebrate, and proclaim the glory of God.

Read more for yourself:

• John Calvin – Institutes of the Christian Religion

• Wayne Grudem – Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine

• Millard J. Erickson – Christian Theology

• John MacArthur & Richard Mayhue – Biblical Doctrine

• The Westminster Confession of Faith