An Atmosphere For Miracles

“He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few people who were ill and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.”
Mark 6:5–6 (NIVUK)

This astonishing moment in the life of Jesus unlocks a sobering and hope-filled secret about walking in the miraculous. Here is Jesus—the Son of God, the Anointed One—moving in extraordinary healing power wherever He went, and yet in His own hometown, the Bible says He “could not do any miracles” (Mark 6:5, NIVUK). That sentence should arrest us.

Strangely, it’s also encouraging. Most of us live our lives among familiar faces, in ordinary places, surrounded by people who know our history. And here we discover that even Jesus experienced a diminished expression of miracles in the place He was most known. If Jesus had a hometown where the miraculous felt restricted, perhaps we shouldn’t be so harsh on ourselves when things feel harder at home.

But the story doesn’t stop there. Scripture reveals why the miracles dried up.

At first, the people were amazed by His teaching. Then familiarity crept in. They began to reduce Him to what they thought they knew. “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son…?” (Mark 6:3, NIVUK). And the Bible says “they took offence at Him” (Mark 6:3, NIVUK).

That word offence comes from the Greek skandalizō—to put a stumbling stone in your own path and trip over it. In other words, they sabotaged themselves. Their perception of dishonour dulled their expectancy, and expectancy is the doorway through which miracles walk.

Dishonour always limits what heaven wants to release. When we normalise what God wants to anoint, we reduce what He longs to do. They couldn’t see the divine because they were obsessed with the familiar. And so, the miraculous among them became rare.

We do this more often than we realise. We say, “It’s just my pastor… just my leader… just me.” We humanise what God has chosen to anoint, and in doing so, we quietly shut the door on His power. Jesus often removed people from the room before performing miracles, because atmosphere matters (Mark 5:40, NIVUK). He repeatedly said, “Your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34, NIVUK), and “according to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29, NIVUK). In other words, you will experience what you are able to see.

If you only see humanity, you’ll receive a human-sized answer. But when you discern the divine—when you honour what God is doing in imperfect people—the Kingdom breaks in.

Start seeing God in others. Start seeing God at work in you. Stop tripping over yesterday’s disappointments. Build a culture of honour, faith, and expectancy. See grace as greater than your past, and power as stronger than your weaknesses. When honour rises, miracles follow. Even Jesus wouldn’t override that principle—so let’s lean into it and watch the miraculous tide rise again.

Believe & Confess Meditation & Declaration

I choose faith over familiarity, knowing that my expectancy opens the door to God’s power (Mark 6:5–6, NIVUK). I refuse offence and walk in honour, so I do not trip over what God wants to use to bless me (Mark 6:3, NIVUK). I believe that according to my faith, it will be done for me (Matthew 9:29, NIVUK), and I declare that my faith makes room for healing, breakthrough, and restoration (Mark 5:34, NIVUK). I see God at work in ordinary people, including myself, and I welcome His Kingdom to come through us (Matthew 6:10, NIVUK). I live with eyes open to grace, power, and possibility, and I expect miracles to flow in my life and community (Hebrews 11:6, NIVUK).

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