Daily Devotional for Sunday, January 26

Isaac Was Supernatural Born

"For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry,thou that travailest not, for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband;' Galatians 4:27.

Historically, it is known to history as the Miracle on Ice. The time was February 22, 1980, the place, the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was the medal round of the men's hockey tournament, and the United States was up against the four-time defending gold medalist Russians. Against all odds, team United States, a group of mostly amateur hockey players, defeated the heavily favored Russians with a final score of 4 to 3.

In the final seconds of the game, Al Michaels, the ABC sports anchor, declared, "Do you believe in miracles?" For a moment I would like for us to consider this same question. You see, what happened on the ice at Lake Placid, while highly improbable, was not impossible. As impressive as it was, this hockey game did not rise to the level of a genuine miracle. It seems to be our tendency to attach the label miracle to almost anything that amazes us. The miracle of childbirth is an oft used phrase used to express our deep feelings about a wonderful and beautiful event. As wonderful as it is, all the processes involved are entirely natural and occur according to the design of their maker. A genuine miracle is the setting aside of natural order.

Isaac's mom and dad were ninety and one hundred years old respectively (Genesis 17:17). For Sarah to conceive and deliver a child at her stage of life was not just improbable, but totally impossible. Isaac's birth was indeed a miracle, in that the laws of nature were set aside and the supernatural was activated. The promise of Isaac's birth was made by the Creator of the universe and that promise was supernaturally kept as is the promise that all who believe share in the supernatural life imparted by the Holy Spirit.

A FINAL THOUGHT

Believe in God and you can believe in miracles.

John Nations