Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president

Have you ever thought about the miracles most of us ignore on a regular basis?

It seems like if a miracle occurred, we would be fully aware of it and have a great appreciation for it. Yet there are literally miracles all around us that have become so routine that we ignore them and have even lost appreciation for them.

Consider the miracle of travel.

Not just airplane travel from one side of the continent to the other. The 1.6 million miles through space you travel each day on the planet we call earth. Or the fact that we are spinning at 1,000 miles per hour on this planet and not a single one of us gets dizzy.

When was the last time you thought about the miracle of staying in orbit in our galaxy and staying on course each day?

When was the last time you were thankful to God for the miracle of the thirty-seven sextillion biochemical reactions happening in your body every second?

There is even the miracle that each person’s sweat glands produce sweat that is unique to them—just like your fingerprints. Some may question if a person’s unique sweat is a miracle, but I think that fact is pretty neat.

The problem with those types of miracles is that they’re so common we don’t stop to be thankful for them. When we start reading and contemplating everyday miracles, they amaze us every time.

Consider the miracle of redemption in Christ.

Jesus was born like we are born. He lived like we live. He was tempted like we are tempted. He went to church, ate meals with all types of people, slept in boats, walked on dusty roads, and yes, He performed miracles. We know quite a bit about His few years of ministry. Those were amazing years. Before that, however, Jesus lived and worked for years in relative obscurity. I wonder if that’s also part of the miracle of God with us.

Then we come to the cross.

Jesus laid down His life. Jesus took up His life again. He overcame death. He provided a way of escape from this earth for each of us. All miracles.

Have we heard it so much that we don’t really pay attention to it anymore? Have we heard too many sermons or Bible studies on what is literally the greatest miracle and gift to each of us? Maybe this is why the book Desire of Ages states,

Each day is a miracle. Each day with Christ is an amazing miracle. Each day with the assurance that Jesus lived, died, rose, and is coming again is a miracle that we should never ignore. Contemplate and appreciate that miracle this week.