“The Lord God…breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…” (Genesis 2:7, NIV 1984).

I did not read Dr. David Stevens’ email until late that evening when I finished rounds. The morning email had asked for prayer for his grandson’s near drowning and critical condition. This follow-up email was already posted when I found the first: “The EMT’s got to Gideon and put him on 02 and started an IV. His initial pulse oximeter reading was in the low 80s, and he vomited up a lot of pool water. He was transported to a referral hospital and is doing well. Pulse Ox 96% off of oxygen now. They are watching him overnight and we are trusting and praying he will have no complications. If he is doing well, he will be discharged tomorrow after 24 hours observation. Praise the Lord for His mercy! Have you ever wondered in a situation if God performed a miracle? (Gideon’s mom) Stacy texted me that Gideon said twice to her in the hospital, ‘Mom, I wasn’t scared. I could breathe under water.’ I laughed when I read it, and then I stopped and thought, maybe he could!”

I am a firm believer that miracles happen every day, that the very design of our bodies is miraculous, that the reason we don’t all have cancer, in spite of the thousands of new mutations in our bodies each day, is miraculous; that the reason my little finger stops growing at a certain length and rounds off is a miracle; that the millions of coordinated interactions between microscopic cells in the brain and arm of a third baseman coordinate to snag a ball moving down the baseline in 0.4 seconds is a miracle.

And then there are miracles. Like the time my aunt took me as a child to her church and anointed me with oil. Like the snakebite-blackened leg of my friend’s son in Africa, like David Stevens’ grandson Gideon, who could breathe under water.

Praise God for all miracles and for His purpose behind each one.

Dear Father,
What a miraculous God You are!
Amen