5Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. 6The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 7For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8So there was much rejoicing in that city.
Why not just simply take it “by faith” that God wants to do miracles, and so live our lives expectantly with this in view? After all, as Francis Schaffer used to say, “He is the God who is there.” And if He is there, He is also right here with us also. And He remains the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). If we really believe these things, then shouldn’t we also believe God wants to do miracles for us just as He did for the early believers; that the reason He doesn’t is because of our lack of faith? After all, the Scripture records Jesus’ activity in His hometown: “And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).
Yes, unbelief can result in God turning His back on people who have hardened their hearts in complete rejection of Jesus. But that is not the same as criticizing genuine believers for not settling for pseudo-miracles or believing every miracle story passed along. The measure of our faith is not whether or not we believe human testimonies of miraculous works; our faith needs to rest on God alone, even when He does not heal. Hebrews tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Faith that rests on the miraculous signs we see with our eyes is not faith at all; that is sight. We are called to “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
When we seek miracles for every difficulty in our lives, we are short-circuiting our Christian growth and development that James writes about:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)
Are we downplaying miracles, minimizing the supernatural work of God today? Emphatically not! Consider this: which requires more faith, believing God when He removes all difficulties from our lives, or trusting God to help us endure within our difficulties and seeing Him to move us to completeness, lacking nothing? Endurance without miracles takes us to a deeper level of faith and a realization of a much greater miracle: God is more than able to help us endure and see us through! The early believers were not deterred by Stephen’s death.
Lord, help me not settle for a shallow faith but grow in an abiding trust in You.
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