Can Miracles Really Happen Today?
Christians pray for things that cannot be reduced to positive thinking. We ask God to heal the sick, open impossible doors, deliver people from bondage and intervene in circumstances beyond our control.
But can miracles really happen today? Are they reasonable to believe in, or are they leftovers from a less scientific age?
As a Pentecostal church, we believe God still acts by the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe the gifts of the Spirit continue and that divine healing is a real provision of Christ's atoning work. That conviction should make us expectant. It should also make us careful, because not every extraordinary claim is true and not every unexplained event is a miracle.
Biblical faith gives us room for both confidence and discernment.
What is a miracle?
People use the word "miracle" for almost anything unlikely: finding a parking space, passing an exam after little revision, or surviving a difficult week. Those may be mercies for which we thank God, but the Bible's language is stronger.
The New Testament often speaks of signs, wonders and acts of power. A miracle is an unusual act of God in which His power produces an effect that natural causes alone do not adequately explain. Miracles are signs because they point beyond themselves. They reveal something about God, confirm His message, show compassion, confront evil or advance His saving purpose.
This means a miracle is not simply an event we do not yet understand. "We have no explanation" and "God acted miraculously" are not identical statements. Our knowledge may be incomplete. A responsible Christian does not put God into every gap in present understanding.
At the same time, if God created and sustains the natural world, He is not imprisoned by it. The One who gives creation its ordinary order can act within creation for His purpose.
Do miracles break the laws of nature?
The laws of nature describe the regular ways the physical world behaves. Christians should value that dependable order as a reflection of the Creator's wisdom.
Some people argue that a miracle would violate those laws and is therefore impossible. But that conclusion assumes, before the evidence is considered, that nature is a closed system and no Creator can act within it.
Consider a simple comparison. If I lift a book from the floor, gravity has not stopped working. A personal agent has introduced another cause. My action does not disprove the law of gravity. In a far greater way, God's action need not mean creation has become irrational. The Creator can bring about an effect that created powers could not produce by themselves.
Science investigates repeatable patterns and natural causes. It is exceptionally powerful within that task. A miracle, by definition, is not a repeatable natural mechanism that a laboratory can summon on demand. Science may help us examine the physical facts surrounding a claim. It cannot settle the philosophical question of whether God exists or is able to act.
Belief in miracles is therefore not a rejection of science. It is a conclusion about the kind of world we inhabit: a created world that is normally ordered and remains open to its Creator.
Why believe the biblical miracles?
The Bible does not present miracles as random displays. They are woven into decisive moments in God's saving work.
In the exodus, signs reveal God's power to rescue His people. Through Elijah and Elisha, miracles confront idolatry and display God's covenant faithfulness. In the ministry of Jesus, healing, deliverance and provision reveal the arrival of God's kingdom. They show His authority over sickness, nature, spiritual oppression and death.
Jesus' miracles are also inseparable from His character. He does not perform tricks to entertain a crowd. He refuses demands for spectacle. He acts with compassion, restores people to community and calls them to faith.
The central miracle of Christianity is the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The apostles did not preach a vague sense that His influence lived on. They proclaimed that the crucified Jesus had been raised and that they were witnesses. Paul made the matter testable in principle: if Christ had not been raised, Christian faith would collapse (1 Corinthians 15:12-20).
That is important. Christianity does not ask us to believe every supernatural story. It asks us to take seriously a specific historical claim at the centre of the faith.
Do miracles still happen?
Yes. The New Testament gives no reason to believe the Holy Spirit withdrew His gifts from the Church after the apostolic age. Acts presents the Spirit empowering believers for witness, and 1 Corinthians 12 describes gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy and discernment within the worshipping church.
Assemblies of God Great Britain affirms the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church today and believes divine healing is provided for in the atonement. We gladly stand within that Pentecostal conviction.
Around the world, Christians testify to healings, deliverance, remarkable provision, timely guidance and answers to prayer. Some accounts include strong evidence. Others are known mainly through personal testimony. We should neither dismiss them automatically nor accept them carelessly.
Expectation without discernment becomes credulity. Discernment without expectation can become practical unbelief. We need both.
How should Christians evaluate a miracle claim?
Does it agree with Scripture?
God does not contradict His revealed character or His Word. A claimed sign that promotes idolatry, immorality, greed or teaching contrary to the gospel should be rejected, however impressive it appears (Deuteronomy 13:1-4; 1 John 4:1-3).
Does it exalt Jesus?
The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ. Healthy testimony directs attention to Jesus, not to the supposed spiritual status of a preacher or ministry. When the person telling the story becomes the centre, caution is wise.
What fruit does it produce?
Does the claim lead towards repentance, love, holiness and worship? Or does it create fear, manipulation, dependency and financial pressure? Jesus taught that fruit matters (Matthew 7:15-23).
Is there evidence?
For a claimed physical healing, ask what the condition was, how it was diagnosed, what treatment was received, what changed and whether qualified medical professionals can confirm the change. Testimony matters, but careful documentation honours truth.
A medically unexplained recovery is not automatically proof of divine action. It may, however, be part of a credible case, especially when the change is clear, timely and connected with prayer. We can give thanks without making claims that exceed the evidence.
Is there accountable leadership?
Miracle ministry in the New Testament belongs within the life and mission of the Church. Claims should be open to examination by mature leaders. Secrecy, exaggeration and resistance to questions are warning signs.
Prayer and medicine are not enemies
Christians do not have to choose between trusting God and receiving medical care. Luke was a physician. Paul gave Timothy practical advice for a recurring physical problem. The good gifts of skill, research and treatment belong to God's common grace.
We can pray for supernatural healing while seeing a GP, taking prescribed medicine, attending counselling or having surgery. If God heals through an immediate act, we thank Him. If He heals through months of treatment and the skill of clinicians, we thank Him. If healing has not yet come, we continue to love and support the person rather than turning their pain into a verdict on their faith.
No responsible church leader should tell someone to stop medication or cancel treatment. Decisions about treatment belong with the patient and appropriately qualified healthcare professionals.
For a practical pastoral guide to prayer, treatment and support, read Sickness and Healing.
Why are some people not healed?
This is where teaching about miracles must become pastoral.
The New Testament shows remarkable healings, but it also shows faithful believers living with weakness, illness and unanswered longing. Paul describes a "thorn" that was not removed despite repeated prayer (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Timothy had recurring stomach problems (1 Timothy 5:23). Epaphroditus came close to death (Philippians 2:25-30).
We do not know why one person experiences immediate healing while another continues to wait. We should not invent an explanation. Lack of healing does not prove lack of faith. We pray because God is good, powerful and compassionate, not because we have learned a formula that controls Him.
The final Christian hope is resurrection. Every healing in this life is a sign and a mercy, but it is temporary in the sense that our present bodies remain mortal. When Christ returns, those who belong to Him will be raised imperishable. Then sickness and death will be gone, not merely delayed.
What about false miracles and spiritual counterfeits?
The Bible warns that impressive signs can be misused. Pharaoh's magicians imitated some of Moses' signs. Jesus warned about false prophets. Acts 8 exposes Simon's desire to purchase spiritual power.
That is why spiritual experience must be tested. Christians should avoid occult practices, mediums, fortune-telling and every attempt to gain spiritual power apart from God. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force to manipulate. He is the divine Person who leads us into truth and holiness.
False claims do real harm. They exploit vulnerable people, bring the gospel into disrepute and make genuine testimony harder to hear. Exposing dishonesty is not attacking the work of the Spirit. Truthfulness honours Him.
How can I pray for a miracle?
Pray simply and specifically. Ask in Jesus' name, submit to God's wisdom, and invite trusted believers to stand with you (James 5:13-16). You do not need to perform, shout or force emotion. God's power does not depend on your volume.
Then remain attentive. The answer may be immediate, gradual, different from what you expected, or not yet visible. Record what happens accurately. Give God glory without embellishment. Keep receiving appropriate care, and let the church continue to support you.
Frequently asked questions
Are miracles just coincidences?
Some events called miracles may be coincidences or misunderstood natural events. That possibility should be considered. But it does not follow that every miracle claim is false. Each claim deserves examination on its own evidence and within a coherent understanding of God.
Can science disprove miracles?
Science can uncover natural causes and test claims about physical change. It cannot prove that nature is all that exists. Ruling out divine action before examining a claim is a philosophical assumption, not a scientific discovery.
Why does God not perform a miracle whenever we ask?
God is personal and sovereign, not a power we control. The Bible encourages persistent, confident prayer while showing that faithful people do not always receive the answer they seek in this age. We trust His character even when we do not understand His timing.
What is the greatest miracle?
The resurrection of Jesus is the central public miracle of the Christian faith. In personal experience, the new birth is also a profound work of the Holy Spirit: sinners are forgiven, reconciled to God and made new in Christ.
A final word
Miracles are possible because God exists. They are credible when the evidence is strong. They are purposeful because God's signs point to His kingdom and His Son. And they remain part of the Church's life because the Holy Spirit has not changed.
We can be open without being gullible, careful without being cynical, and confident without pretending to control the outcome.
If you need prayer, send us your prayer request. If you are exploring who Jesus is, join Alpha or Christianity Explored. You can also ask a question or plan a visit.
Continue with more Questions People Ask, including Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?.
Prayer
Father, thank You that Your power has not changed. Give me faith to ask, patience to wait and wisdom to test every claim. Bring healing and deliverance according to Your will, keep me from exaggeration or unbelief, and let every answer point people to Jesus. In His name, amen.
Pastor Ras
All Nations Community Church
