Miracle Maker

(7) The Savior is Born - Luke 2:1-20

Photo by Ravi Pinisetti on Unsplash

Dear Reader,

May “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Signs, Power, and Wonder

The Miracle Maker writes His Messages in the sky, “the heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2), yet many cannot see His works because they are blinded in unbelief. One signal of miracles in the Bible, is the use of the word, ‘sign’, this word is repeated two-hundreds and two times (202) in the New American Standard Translation (NASB) and means ‘to mark beside’. A sign is a message that is intended to help move hearts from unbelief to belief in God. The Gospel of John makes frequent use of the word sign (x17), more than any New Testament book, urging those who hear the Gospel Message to move from unbelief to belief.

Another aspect of miracles is the word, ‘power’, this word is repeated three hundred thirty five (335) times in the New International Version (NIV) translation of the bible. One biblical Greek word for power is dynamis where we get the English word, dynamite, referring to strength, power, and ability. The purpose of power in miracles is to describe the supernatural, the unseen, something is happening that is beyond human power, there is a supernatural force at work. When the woman struggling with bleeding for twelve years (Luke 8:43-48) touched Jesus, there was an exchange that took place as described in Luke 8:46 “But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Some may describe this supernatural power as the ‘Hand of God’, which is illustrated in Michelangelo’s famous artwork.

In describing miracles in the bible, another frequent word used is ‘wonder’, repeated over a hundred times (x109) in the NIV translation, wonder is used to describe emotion, to marvel, astonished, amazed. The shepherds led by Angels, were ‘amazed’ (Luke 2:16-20) by the discovery of baby Jesus.

The Savior is Born, Luke 2:1-20

There is a miracle that has been given to you and to me, to every tribe and nation and it’s stated in this verse, “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:11.

Photo by Jon Carlson on Unsplash

In the days of Caesar Augustus, a thought came to his mind, that a census should be taken of the Roman World, who put that thought is Caesar’s mind? The scriptures say that “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes” – Proverbs 21:1. The bible describes the arrival of the Savior carefully orchestrated through forty two generations (Matthew 1:17), a sign would be marked out several hundred years in advance through the Prophet Isaiah, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”(Isaiah 7:14), Immanuel means “God is with us”. The Prophet Micah announced the location of the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem hundreds of years in advance (Micah 5:2).

So how do you define a miracle? Do you believe in miracles? When you think of miracles what comes to mind? Have you witnessed or experienced a miracle? For me I think of angelic intervention or something that defies natural reality, something that is impossible by human means. For some miracles may be a provision that happens beyond normal circumstances, or healing that takes place, or the miracle of faith that changes hearts to be more like Christ. Faith in miracles leads a person to have faith in a Miracle Maker. One dark night in Bethlehem some Shepherds understood the sign, powers, and wonders was a message for them and to the world.

Here are a few songs on miracles regarding faith in Christ you might find encouraging:

• Matthew West, Don’t Stop Praying.

• Cece Winans, Believe for It.

• Leeland, Way Maker.

Passage Summary:

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”  - C.S. Lewis