We all have miracles in our lives, and they happen every day. When I first began to study medicine, the intricacies of the human body and how it functions declared itself to me as one of G-d’s miracles.
I wasn’t alone among budding doctors in seeing it this way, in never seeing faith or the human soul or spirituality as standing in opposition to science. Great technology helps a physician to preserve and extend life and to relieve suffering. Faith helps us to believe that each life is precious.
But miracles are not predictable. G-d grants us the miracles He wants us to have, not always the ones we may pray for.
DR. MARC SIEGEL: FROM HORROR TO HOPE: WHAT GAZA’S FREED HOSTAGES TEACH A WEARY WORLD
Back in the 12th century B.C., Hannah found that her prayer to have a child was only answered because G-d knew that her son Shmuel (Samuel) would go on to become a great prophet. Shmuel in Hebrew means G-d hears. He heard Hannah’s prayer.
In my own life, we prayed for a third child and were gifted with one from G-d. While my wife was pregnant, I was praying on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and reading Hannah’s prayer when I saw that the man in the pew in front of me had a little baby on his shoulder.