These miracles open our eyes to the glory of God and serve as physical evidence of his power and presence in our world.
It helps to revisit the miracles of Jesus whenever we feel discouraged because they remind us that nothing is impossible with God and that we can trust in him to help us regardless of how difficult our problem may seem.
The Bible is filled with stories about the miracles of Jesus. There are many accounts of Jesus performing amazing acts. Here are five of his most important miracles and how they can help us have hope in our day to day lives.
Feeding of the 5,000 - God is faithful in providing for HIS children
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over*—twelve wicker baskets. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children. Matthew 14:18-21
How this miracle can inspire us:
In the feeding of the 5000, men, women and children followed Jesus to hear the Word of God. The disciples of Christ wanted to send the people away when evening came because they were in a place that was far from the towns and everyone might get hungry. Instead of sending the people away, Jesus multiplied “five loaves and two fish” and fed everyone.
The feeding of the multitude teaches us that God is faithful in providing for His children. We must look beyond our earthly resources and limitations. Trust that He can meet our every need. Jesus not only gave his people physical nourishment, he fed their souls and spirit.
We must realize that God is great and will provide for our every need whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual.
When we feel our resources are too limited to sustain us and hopelessness looms on the horizon, this miracle provides comfort in the reminder that Jesus has extraordinary plans for our lives. His grace is sufficient and His provisions will always come in the most unexpected ways. All we need to do is trust and have faith in Him.
Calming of the Storm at Sea - Have trust in God
He got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm* came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”* Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” Matthew 8:23-27
In this story, the disciples are gripped by fear because of a violent storm developing around them. In the midst of the fearsome situation, Jesus wakes up from his sleep and commands the waves and winds to calm down. He also rebuked his followers for having “little faith”.
Just like Jesus’s disciples, we are sometimes vulnerable to our human weakness. During life’s storms, we might find ourselves faltering and failing. We become afraid and we rely on earthly solutions instead of spiritual answers to fix our problems.
As long as we believe in the power of God and his unwavering love for us, we can weather any storm and overcome upheavals that come our way.
The miracle of Jesus calming the storm at sea reminds us to grow faith in God. As long as we believe in the power of God and his unwavering love for us, we can weather any storm and overcome upheavals that come our way.
The Raising of Lazarus - God has power over death & darkness
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father,* I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” John 11:38-44
How this miracle can inspire us:
In the story of Lazarus, Jesus told his disciples that his dear friend Lazarus had died and that it was time to visit his tomb. In the midst of the mourning crowd and disbelieving people, Jesus called out to Lazarus and brought him back to life.
We live in a world filled with death and suffering. People discriminate against one another. We destroy our bodies with excess alcohol, food, drugs and even work. Acts of terrorism annihilate entire towns and there are so many more depressing realities.
Despite all of this, the story of Lazarus being resurrected reminds us that God has power over death and darkness. This miracle lets us see that death is not the end and that there is more to life than pain and suffering but true life can only come from God. We must surrender our lives to our Lord and have faith that he will give us eternal life.
The Lord’s Supper - The Lords Sacrifice for Our Salvation
Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. Luke 22:19-20
How this miracle can inspire us:
In the story of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus ate his last meal with his apostles. During this time he performed what could be the greatest miracle in the Catholic Faith: He transformed bread and wine into his body and blood. This miracle is commemorated in every mass through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
In the Lord’s Supper, the bread signifies Jesus’ body being the bread of life. Accepting Jesus’ body is like accepting Him in our daily lives and that we must live the way Jesus wanted us to live. The wine signifies the blood of Christ, that was willingly given to man’s salvation.
This miracle is important because it shows us Catholics how Jesus selflessly gave His life to all of us and that he is a servant not just to his apostles but to all of humanity. There is no reason therefore to feel alone or unloved in this world.
Jesus’ Resurrection - We Are Loved & Saved
But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”* which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,* for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her. John 20:11-18
How this miracle can inspire us:
Jesus’ resurrection is the most significant event in Christian history. After Jesus was crucified, his disciples were in deep shock and pain because their Master had been arrested, tried and convicted. Their world turned upside down because of what happened. However, three days after his crucifixion, Jesus miraculously rose and lived again.
The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection is magnificent in many ways. First it reveals that Jesus is truly both God and man. He is so powerful he overcame even death. Second, it fulfills God’s promised gift of salvation. Through His son, Jesus Christ, He saved us all from sin.
During moments of great distress, we may feel deeply alone and lost. It helps to remember the awe-inspiring sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Through His death and eventual resurrection we can truly claim that we are loved and saved. Jesus gave his life for us and it is now up to us to live our lives in accordance to His will.
Miracles are not just present in the Bible, they happen in our daily lives.
There are only two ways to live your life: as though nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein
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What miracles have you experienced in your life?
Miracles do happen every day. To show us God is the Almighty.
Amen