Weekly Devotional: September 9, 2026

DEVOTIONAL
by Major Kelly English
Corps Officer - Fairfax County, VA

GOD’S WORD
Matthew 16:15-16; John 17

DEVOTIONAL
“WHAT…NO MIRACLES?”

WHAT IF JESUS DID NO MIRACLES?

Recently, I was having a conversation with a good friend. While we were deep in our discussion, a question popped into my mind, and it was just as random as anything that I could have imagined.

The question was this: What if Jesus performed NO miracles? What if there was NO water turned into wine? What if there was NO walking on water? What if there was NO Lazarus? What if there were NO storms that were calmed, NO blind eyes opened, NO lame people who needed to walk? What if that didn't exist?!?

When I tell you that I went into a rabbit hole that was far deeper than I could imagine, why, that’s an understatement, for sure! I spent days mulling over this question over and over. Sometimes it kept me up late at night. Do I believe simply because of the miracles, or is what he says enough? Hmmm.

Miracles are compelling. They have the ability to disrupt what is normal and ordinary and push us into a realm that is divine and inexplicable, yet in so many cases, people still deny them. So, is faith built on what Jesus does or who He is?

In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asked these questions of his disciples. Who do men say that I am? They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” And then he asked this question, “But who do you say that I am?”

HIS WORDS ARE DISRUPTIVE

Jesus, are you the miracle man, or are you the one whose word is enough? We still have Jesus' words. Teachings that have lasted through empires. It’s wisdom that confronts, transforms, and comforts. When Jesus says love your enemies, and blessed are the meek, and forgive seventy times seven ~ these are not just sayings of some moral teacher trying to be agreeable. No! These words are disruptive. They are radical. They reveal a different kind of kingdom, a different kind of teaching. It's why he says that we are not of this world in John 17.

When we take away the miracles, what we have is His character. We have His compassion to the disenfranchised, His willingness to touch the untouchable, and His habit of elevating those who were overlooked. Jesus' life had a consistency that didn't depend on any kind of supernatural display. It's seen in the way he treats people, speaks the truth, and embodies love. It's the kind of life that, quite frankly, would bring me to believe in him even though I have never seen him.

TRUST WITHOUT COMPLETE CERTAINTY

And then we have the cross; this is where the question becomes so much more personal because, you see, the cross is not a miracle in the way I would think of one. The cross is suffering. It's sacrifice. It's what love looks like when it costs everything. So, if Jesus simply lived a quiet life, taught profound truth, and then died on the cross out of love for those around, would that be enough to believe in him?

If my faith depends solely on what I see, it may falter, because what I see often has so many unanswered questions. If my belief is rooted in trust and I trust in the goodness, truth, and love of Jesus, then it can endure even when there are no miracles to record. Faith doesn't need to be sustained by a miracle. What we really want, what we're really longing for, is a sense of assurance and a relief from uncertainty. Faith, by its own nature, invites us to a place of trust without complete certainty.

I then had to rethink my own definition of what a miracle is. Perhaps the real miracle isn't about the spectacular, but about a hardened heart that is softening, a broken relationship that is restored, a person finding hope when they are beaten back and forth by despair. I have been following a Savior who called me into a life of love, humility, and surrender. I've been following a Savior whose greatest act is not a display, but sacrifice.

I come back to my original thought: what if Jesus performed NO miracles? Well, I think he does; they just look different than what I imagined. Peter got it when he said, "You are the Christ." Amen.