miracle          Everybody loves a miracle, even the make-believe kind. One example is the “Miracle on 34th Street,” a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton.  It’s a story about a kind old man who claims to be Santa Claus and a little girl who believes him. He is declared insane and put in an institution. A young lawyer decides to defend him and eventually convinces the court that he really is Santa Clause. What a miracle! Well…, not really it is only fiction.

           Then, there are real miracles. Maybe you have experienced one. It could have been a time you narrowly escaped a tragic car accident and you don’t know how. A doctor may said you only had weeks to live, and yet years later, here you are. The list could go on and on. Personal stories, though, are not the only way we learn about miracles. The Bible is filled with stories about miracles.

           Some of the most fascinating miracles in the Bible have to do with food. One of them comes from Exodus Chapter 16. The Jews has just been set free from 300 years of slavery in Egypt. Take a minute and imagine how you would feel if you were one of them. You and your relatives have suffered under slavery for generations. Your fondest dream has always been to be free. Now it has finally happened.

           God not only parted the Red Sea so you and all your countrymen could cross over into freedom, the entire Egyptian army was wiped out when they tried to follow you. You are free from slavery AND free from the fear that Egyptian soldiers might come after you. What an amazing miracle! But, as we read the story, that miracle was not enough.

           Now the Jews found themselves stuck in a desert with no apparent way to get food. They panicked and talked about returning to Egypt. They would be slaves again, but at least they would have something to eat. God then announced that it was time for another miracle.  He promised that they would have an abundant supply of a miraculous tasty food every morning. The Jews called it “Manna” which means “What is it?” God provided that food for about two million Jews every day for forty years.

           Amazing! But, here is a shocker. After forty years of daily miracles God said that there was something much more important than getting miraculous food. Notice what God said,“… man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). A peaceful and happy life, in other words, should NOT be based on miracles, but on what God says. What does that mean?

           Here is the key: what God has to say is more important than the miracles He gives. It is wonderful when God provides a miracle, but what we need even more are His promises about the future. That is why God says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

           Living with contentment in an uncertain world is NOT found in your experiences (even miraculous ones), but in what the eternal God has actually said. For example, look at these words spoken by Jesus: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). If you have given your life to Christ, then you belong to God’s family (John 1:12) and then Christ’s promise of “rest” belongs to you.

           Yes, everybody loves a miracle, but real living comes from God’s unchanging promises because,“… man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).