[243 words]
On August 28, 2007, just before 11 a.m., surfer Todd Endris’ worst nightmare came true: he was attacked by a great white shark, not once, but three times! Just as all hope seemed lost, Endris was saved by a pod of bottlenose dolphins that formed a protective ring around the surfer, kept the shark at bay, and allowed him to reach shore. There a friend applied emergency first aid and saved his life. “Truly a miracle,” Endris later told a reporter.
But was it a miracle? The word miracle is one of the most loosely used words in the Bible. Anything that is unusual, wonderful, or mysterious is labeled a miracle, but the Biblical definition is more precise than that. In Scripture, a miracle is a supernatural act of God done when He suspended natural law. Examples include the ten plagues on Egypt, parting the Red Sea, calling down fire from heaven, the virgin birth of Christ, raising the dead, walking on water, or giving sight to one born blind.
As wonderful as Endris’ rescue was, dolphins saving swimmers from sharks are a natural occurrence, not a supernatural one, and history provides many examples of such. Thus, it was not a miracle. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 that miracles were a temporary part of God’s plan and He is not performing miracles in the World today. Let us be sure we use Bible words in Bible ways.
Travis L. Quertermous
Dexter church of Christ
Dexter, MO