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Miraclesiracles MMIRACLESIRACLES-- Miracles happen every day in the Some people reject the possibility of miracles because they have not experienced them or cannot work of the Church and in the lives understand them. In contrast, President Howard W. of its members. Hunter declared, “To deny the reality of miracles on the ground that the results and manifestations must be fictitious simply because we cannot comprehend B Y E LDER D ALLIN H. OAKS the means by which they have happened is arrogant Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the face of it.”3 hen I was a college student, almost 50 years ago, Elder TYPES OF MIRACLES Matthew Cowley (1897–1953) Wof the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles The word miracle is used in different ways. We spoke to a BYU audience about miracles. That devo- sometimes say that any happening we cannot explain tional message had a great impact on me, and I have is a “miracle.” To me, a computer is a miracle. So are felt to revisit its subject. Like Elder Cowley, I will cell phones and space travel. But these wonders are seek to provide an answer to the prophet Mormon’s explainable by physical laws understood by some question “Has the day of miracles ceased?” (Moro. mortals. I call them miracles because I do not person- 7:35). In fact, many miracles happen every day in the ally understand them and therefore cannot duplicate work of our Church and in the lives of our members. them at will. Many of you have witnessed miracles, perhaps more Another category of miracles, so-called, are the than you realize. tricks that some magicians and religious practitioners A miracle has been defined as “a beneficial event stage in order to produce astonishing events in aid brought about through divine power that mortals do of their professions or ministries. You will remember not understand and of themselves cannot duplicate.”1 that the magicians in Pharaoh’s court duplicated The idea that events are brought about through divine some of the miracles Moses produced through the power is rejected by most irreligious people and even power of God (see Ex. 7–8). Perhaps these magicians by some who are religious. All of us have known were servants of the devil, using his power, but I people who have what Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the think it more likely that they were simply skilled Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once called “the anti- practitioners of magic tricks that they used to rein- miracle mind-set.”2 This rejection of miracles in the last force their position in Pharaoh’s court. days was prophesied. The prophet Nephi foretold that Religious practitioners have employed similar de- the Gentiles would “put down the power and miracles ceptions in our own day. About 40 years ago a profes- of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wis- sional dramatic production planned for a midwestern dom and their own learning, that they may get gain” city had to be postponed because the producers could (2 Ne. 26:20). He also prophesied that churches would not find enough professional actors to perform the re- be built up in which persons would teach with their quired roles. A great religious revival was under way learning, deny the power of God, and tell the people in that city, and I was told the revivalists had hired all that if someone should “say there is a miracle wrought of the available professional actors to portray miracu- by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he lous healings and conversions to enhance their posi- is not a God of miracles” (2 Ne. 28:6). tion and goals with their audiences. Before we are too 6 PAINTINGS BY AMY DAVIS, EXCEPT AS NOTED; RIGHT: JESUS HEALING THE BLIND, BY CARL HEINRICH BLOCH, DET NATIONALHISTORISKE MUSEUM PÅ FREDERIKSBORG, HILLERØD already believed. the faithofthosewho shared, usuallytostrengthen obviously intendedtobe T in thescriptures were he miracleswritten T HE E NSIGN /J UNE 2001 7 TER RANE L A W Y B he scriptures contain ” many accounts of miracles. PeterT ’s healing of the lame VE, I GIVE THEE, man is a familiar example from the Bible. SUCH AS I HA “ critical of such techniques, we should remember that I will now describe two types of genuine miracles. we engage in similar deceptions whenever we exag- These two fit all of the elements of the definition: gerate a happening in order to dazzle an audience they are brought about by divine power, mortals do into thinking we have experienced a miracle or to not understand them, and mortals cannot duplicate enhance our stature in other ways. Warning! them of themselves. We know from the scriptures that persons without First, miracles worked by the power of the priest- authority will use the name of Jesus Christ to work hood are always present in the true Church of Jesus what seem to be miracles. The Savior taught that as Christ.5 The Book of Mormon teaches that “God has part of the Final Judgment many would say, “Lord, provided a means that man, through faith, might Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in work mighty miracles” (Mosiah 8:18). The “means” thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done provided is priesthood power (see James 5:14–15; many wonderful works?” (Matt. 7:22). You will re- D&C 42:43–48), and that power works miracles member that these pretenders were rejected by the through faith (see Ether 12:12; Moro. 7:37). The scrip- Lord (see v. 23). tures contain many accounts of such miracles. Elijah’s Not every manifestation or miracle comes from raising the widow’s son and Peter’s healing of the God or from mortal deception. The adversary has lame man are two familiar examples from the Bible great powers to deceive, and he will use these to give (see 1 Kgs. 17:8–24; Acts 3), and there are many oth- his corrupted copy of the genuine miracles worked ers. I will describe some modern examples later. by the power of God. I will say no more of this, since A second type of genuine miracle is the miracle I believe it is not desirable to say much about the pow- worked through the power of faith, without specifi- ers of the evil one. It is sufficient for us to know that cally invoking the power of the priesthood. Many of his power exists and that we have been warned these miracles occur in our Church, such as by the against it (see Rev. 13:11–14; D&C 28:11; 50:1–3).4 prayers of faithful women, and many occur outside it. 8 As Nephi taught, God “manifesteth himself unto all usage over the prior technology. Family history those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy work is exploding in a miraculous way. Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and won- MICRO-MIRACLES ders, among the children of men according to their faith” (2 Ne. 26:13; see also 1 Ne. 7:12; James 5:15). In contrast to these far-reaching miracles are the more familiar categories of miracles that impact only a MACRO-MIRACLES few individuals. The scriptures abound with such mir- acles, and miracles as great as these still occur. I have Some miracles affect many people. The ultimate seen them, and so have you. Elder Spencer W. Kimball such miracle is the Atonement of Jesus Christ— (1895–1985), then of the Quorum of the Twelve His triumph over physical and spiritual death for all Apostles, said: mankind. No miracle is more far-reaching or more “We do have miracles today—beyond imagination! . magnificent. “What kinds of miracles do we Other far-reaching miracles— have? All kinds—revelations, vi- impossible to explain by rational sions, tongues, healings, special means—occur as a result of obedi- guidance and direction, evil spirits ence to the commandments of cast out. Where are they recorded? God. Thus, there is something In the records of the Church, in miraculous about the way the journals, in news and magazine members of our Church pay their articles and in the minds and mem- tithing so faithfully and are blessed ories of many people.”6 for doing so. Most of us are acquainted with To cite another far-reaching mir- miracles that have occurred in our acle, there is no rational way to ex- personal lives and the lives of those plain why young men and women we love, such as miracles involving give a year and a half to two years he more familiar categories births and deaths and miraculous of their lives in the middle of their of miracles impact only a few healings. All of these are fulfillments education and marriage eligibility to individuals.T of the Lord’s modern promise to suffer the hardships incident to an “show miracles, signs, and wonders, inconvenient and highly disciplined pattern of mis- unto all those who believe on my name” (D&C 35:8). sionary service to their fellowmen. Other miracles oc- cur in funding missions by missionaries or families too WHEN MIRACLES DON’T HAPPEN poor to do so but who do so anyway. Still another miracle is the way missionaries are pro- I have been speaking of miracles that happen. tected during their labors. Of course we have fatalities What about miracles that don’t happen? Most of us among our young missionaries—about three to six per have offered prayers that were not answered with the year over the last decade—all of them tragic.
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