Why Do Miracles Occur?
So why would God interrupt the normal course of events with a miracle?
First of all, a miracle is an event God wants people to notice. Here’s a general observation: With the exception of the creation of the universe and of life, God doesn’t seem to create miracles unless an observer is present. After God created the universe, it seems he relied upon the natural laws he created that put the stars, galaxies, and planets together. When he created life, he did so suddenly, at certain points in earth’s timeline. That is what the fossil record and genetic evidence tell us. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution cannot explain why all species, without exception, appeared suddenly, fully formed, and without all the intervening intermediate species his theory had predicted. For the species that are now extinct, what the fossil record shows is that they existed for a long period of time and then disappeared suddenly. They never morphed gradually into anything else. Despite the evidence to the contrary, scientists cling to evolution like flies to tarpaper. Believing in a Creator God is too upsetting for a worldview dedicated to scientific pantheism.
But we’re talking about miracles. And God does miracles so people will notice them. But why?
Here’s our answer. God creates miracles for one of two reasons:
- To confirm a messenger of God.
- To confirm God’s message.
In both cases the miracles glorify God. Counterfeit miracles, which we’ll talk about later, always glorify a creature or a created thing.
Let’s take a few examples, starting with Mary’s virgin birth. 
Why would God have Mary conceive via the Holy Spirit, without sexual relations? This is outside the natural order.
Here are a few reasons I can think of:
- In Isaiah 7:14 prophecy predicted it would be so. So the virgin birth fulfilled a prophecy.
- This miracle confirmed Mary as the one who would bear the Savior of all mankind.
- It confirmed Jesus as divine and gave glory to God.
What about Moses’s parting of the Red Sea? Why would God allow that miracle?
- Because it confirmed Moses as God’s messenger and leader of the Israelites.
- It confirmed God’s favor on the Israelites as his chosen people.
- It glorified God in an unmistakable, powerful way. The news of this event spread far and wide.
What about Jesus’s many miracles? Such as turning water into wine, feeding thousands from a single small basket of bread and fish, or walking on water?
- They confirmed Jesus as God’s Son.
- And they confirmed Jesus’s message of salvation.
Now we can see why God uses miracles and why they’re important. They are unique, one-time events that glorify God. If they weren’t unique no one would notice them and they wouldn’t fulfill their purpose of confirming God’s messengers or his message.
Next we’ll look at a couple of instances in the Bible that document some miracles.