Do you consider yourself a skeptic who claims you’d believe in God if you could just witness a miracle firsthand? If so, let’s play a game of "let’s pretend."
Imagine you saw the most astonishing supernatural events unfold—plagues ravaging Egypt, the death of every Egyptian’s firstborn son, and the parting of the Red Sea, allowing you to walk on dry ground. You then watched as the waters crashed down, drowning the Egyptian army. You were guided by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Each day, food (manna) appeared miraculously, water flowed from rocks, and your clothes and shoes never wore out as you journeyed toward a promised land.
Now, even after witnessing all these incredible signs, you turned your back on the God who made them happen. Sound impossible?
Consider what Moses told the Israelites, who saw these miracles firsthand: "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt...the great trials, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear" (Deuteronomy 29:2-4).
The truth about miracles is this: unless your heart is open, they will have no lasting effect and won’t lead to any deeper understanding.
Still not convinced? Let’s revisit some of Jesus’ miracles. Contrary to popular belief, healings, exorcisms, and other miraculous events were as extraordinary then as they would be today. Here are a few examples:
- The man with the shriveled hand (Mark 3:1-6): Jesus miraculously restores a man’s hand, and the religious leaders—who should have recognized God’s power—respond by conspiring to kill Him.
- The woman bent over for 18 years (Luke 13:10-14): Jesus heals her, and instead of celebrating, the synagogue official is upset because the miracle occurred on the Sabbath. He tells the crowd, “Come on the other six days to get healed.”
- The raising of Lazarus (John 11): After Lazarus is brought back to life, many flock to see him. But instead of believing, the chief priests plot to kill both Lazarus and Jesus to prevent more people from following Christ.
And just for good measure, consider what happened to the Apostle Paul in Lystra (Acts 14:8-19). After Paul heals a man who had never walked, the crowd is so impressed they begin to worship Paul as a god. But in the very next verse, the same people are swayed by Paul's opponents and stone him, leaving him for dead.
These examples show that even the most undeniable miracles won’t necessarily lead to faith or understanding. Why? Moses explained it best: "The LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear."
As the great Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee put it: “In spite of seeing all the signs, they still did not perceive... Until God opens the eyes and ears of men and women, they cannot hear the Gospel.”
This isn’t a matter of simply witnessing something amazing—it’s about needing a deeper transformation of the heart and mind. Even the Apostle Paul in Romans talks about the "blindness of Israel," saying that without God opening our eyes, we are spiritually unable to comprehend His truth (Romans 11:8).
St. Augustine understood this when he famously prayed, "Grant what You command, and command what You desire." While many people are fine with God commanding us to do things, they struggle with the idea that we need Him to enable us to follow through. Yet the Bible is clear: “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Without God’s intervention, even the most obvious miracle will seem meaningless.
So, if you’re waiting for a miracle to believe in God, I have a different suggestion. Like Augustine, ask God for what you really need: a changed heart and mind to truly know Him. The greatest miracle—the new birth that Jesus speaks of in John 3—happens every day. Here’s hoping and praying it happens to you.