I have been a family doctor for some 28 years. I have seen a lot of births and a lot of deaths. I have dealt with the full range of illnesses, from the common to the rare, and from the trivial to the terminal. Along the way, I have witnessed something else, something many if not all physicians see but which many refuse to acknowledge. I have seen miracles.

Actually, I believe miracles happen around us almost daily. We just fail to notice. The car accident that doesn’t happen. The child that does not get sick. The 35 year old refrigerator that doesn’t break down. And more. The angry words that are not spoken. The relationship that is mended. The love that develops and grows.

I’ve seen these and I have also seen true physical healings. I have seen tumors disappear and hearts go from barely functioning to almost normal. And I have seen greater miracles.

A number of years ago I was called to the hospital to assess a young patient. This young man had become a Christian as a teenager but then developed bone cancer. He had to have his leg amputated and became angry and bitter. He turned away from God and from his family. The cancer spread. He was hospitalized for palliative care and laid in bed on a morphine drip, not moving, barely speaking.

When I was called, he had not been out of bed for weeks. As I entered the room, he awoke and looked around. In a firm, clear voice he stated that he wanted to stand up. We were unsure if he would be strong enough to do so but decided to let him try. We helped him out of bed and he stood, unsteady but standing on his one remaining leg.

He smiled and looked at his mother. “I’ve been with Jesus,” he said, “And we were running.”

He lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and died.

Is there a greater miracle than a heart changed? A soul saved? A prodigal returned to the loving arms of His Father?

My prayer for the coming year is that all of us will see and experience just such a miracle. God Bless and Happy New Year!