1 Kings 18: The Reason for Miracles

Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” -1 Kings 18:38-39

Christians believe in miracles, but often do not realize the purpose for God’s special interventions into our lives. When Elijah experienced the miracle of God sending fire to the altar he had rebuilt, the result was clear. We are told that those who had previously abandoned the Lord responded by falling to the ground and shouting, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

Miracles are all about bringing attention to God. Whether you call it God’s glory, majesty, greatness, or some other terms, making God the big deal is the goal.

So how can we tell the real miracles from the fake ones?

One clear way is to look at the focus. Is the miracles bringing attention to God or the alleged miracle-worker? If it’s not about making God a big deal, I’d bet against the claim of a God-given miracle. When Elijah prayed, God showed up in a big way. Yet Elijah didn’t point to himself and say, “Look what I just did!” Instead, his focus on was on God and his honor, just as it should be in our lives today.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.