Some people doubt that God wants to work a miracle for them today. They believe that there were miracles when Jesus walked the earth, but they think that the days of miracles are over. Many also talk about how everything will be perfect one day in the sweet by and by. But God wants us to know that He is still the God of miracles. God, who parted the Red Sea, rained manna from Heaven, caused the walls of Jericho to fall, shut the lions’ mouths, healed the sick, raised the dead and calmed the sea still performs miracles today. Here are four amazing miracles God performed this year.
Thousands Flocked to ‘Miracle’ Icon at South Suburban Church
Thousands across the Chicago area flocked to a southwest suburban parish to see what they believed to be a miracle. Since July, tiny droplets of fragrant oil have trickled down an icon of St. John the Baptist in front of the altar at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Homer Glen, IL. Parishioners believe the oil has healing properties and that its origins are a blessing from God. The oil, which parishioners believe to be myrrh, exudes from the icon’s halo, wings, hand and beard. Collected every week by a reservoir of cotton at the base of the icon, the oil is regularly extracted by Rev. Sotirios “Sam” Dimitriou and it is placed into a pitcher. It then saturates cotton balls, which he seals in plastic bags for parishioners to take home and share with their loved ones.
While Dimitriou certainly does not mind sharing the oil, he has been reluctant to broadcast its origins. Instead, news of the icon has spread by word of mouth. There have been many reports of the oil’s healing effects. One man reportedly went to the doctor concerning a blockage in his artery, but it had disappeared. Another person reports being cancer free after touching the oil. The painter of the icon, Peter Mihalopoulos, said he believed the oil was the reason why he was in his garage painting two days after a hip replacement. Dimitriou himself, who before the oil began to flow, frequently passed out at the altar in his office because of nerve damage, said he has not been hospitalized for his nerve condition since September and he stopped taking his medication. There is healing with God.
2-Year-Old Girl Sees and Hears Mom for the First Time After Miracle Surgery
A Brazilian toddler who suffered from glaucoma can now see and hear after traveling to the U.S. for a life-changing surgery. About one in 25,000 babies are born with the disease. Before traveling to the U.S., Nicolly had received seven surgeries to help her eyesight in Brazil but they were all unsuccessful. So her mother Diana, who was distraught, turned to social media for help. By creating a Facebook page for Nicolly, word began to spread. With help from the International Kids Fund, almost $20,000 was raised for her eye surgery. According to The Miami Herald, a 10-year-old donated prize money he won in a youth racing league to buy airline tickets for Nicolly and Diana. The efforts of these Good Samaritans allowed the little girl to finally receive the much-needed surgery. When God steps in, miracles happen.
Coma Patient Wiggles Toe to Tell Family Not to Turn off Life Support
Sam Hemming, 22, once in a coma, is now being called a “walking miracle” after wiggling her toe only moments before family members prepared to take her off life support. Hemming was in the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s car in July when it crashed and flipped over. She had recently graduated from Bangor University in Wales with a law degree. Her head was smashed through the window during the crash, hit the central reservation and took her left ear off. Hemming’s family was informed that she was brain dead with no hope of recovery. Doctors deemed one side of her brain “dead” and the other side, left undamaged, was not a part of the brain that is normally used.
After 19 days of being unresponsive in a coma, the doctors told her family it was time to say goodbye. The family gathered in her room and said their farewells. Then, suddenly doctors noticed Hemming’s big toe wiggle. She had not been responding to any other tests but when a medic accidentally touched her right foot with an ice-cold wipe, her body reacted. Doctors put her back on life support and within the next few days, Hemming was breathing on her own. Within eight weeks, Hemming was able to return home in Herefordshire, England. Within months, she taught herself to speak and walk again. Nobody could have predicted that after the crash she would have had such a miraculously recovery. There are miracles with God!
Twins Conjoined at the Heart are Separated in Miracle Surgery
It was hard for people to believe conjoined twins Savannah and Scarlett would survive, especially after doctors discovered they were joined at the heart, but thanks to the hard work of Florida doctors, their parents were able to bring their two separated daughters home. Throughout first-time mom Jacquelyn’s pregnancy, she thought she was only having one baby. An ultrasound at 20 weeks instead showed two baby girls conjoined at the heart, liver, sternum and diaphragm. Doctors said they had originally only heard one heartbeat because the two tiny hearts were beating in sync.
Doctors report between 40 and 60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn and 35 percent who survive being born are only alive for a day. Twins conjoined at the heart are considerably rarer. Initially, the parents were counseled these babies might not make it, that they might die after they are born. But when the couple went to the UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville for a second opinion, the team felt the babies would not only survive, but there would be a chance they could even separate them. Another complication was the babies’ liver – while most of their organs were joined, baby Savannah and baby Scarlett shared one giant liver. Despite this, after two months of meetings and research, doctors felt confident to embark on the eight-hour long surgery to separate the girls. Despite once giving the twins dim outlook, doctors are now calling the surgery a success. Others are calling this a miracle.
These miracles that occurred this year continue to leave us astounded and are a true testament to God's power in action. God stands at the point of your need. What miracle do you need from Him? Believe that He is still the same miracle-working God today that He was during biblical times. Believe that you will see His glory. Believe and you will see your miracle.
