Why You May Not Get A Miracle5 min read
I read an article recently where the writer lampooned a billionaire.
Don’t worry, it was not one of those “billionaires must be scoundrels” articles, it was closer to home
The billionaire had attributed her mighty billions all to God. I guess that was what irked the writer
The sentiment was clear. If everything is a miracle, then how can the rest of us learn and grow from you? How would we learn and grow if we don’t know the story of your mighty billions?
Well, I think the answer was quite simple. We will wait for a miracle
But is that really what God wants for all His children?
Does He Believe In Miracles?
Before we go on, I’d like to deal the creeping thought in your head. Does this guy believe in miracles?
Yep, I believe in miracles (sounds like a song, right?)
I just think a lot of what we ask for as miracles will never come to us as miracles
Before you sign off or walk away from me, it’ll be nice to take some time and read the stuff that comes afterward
A Lesson From History
Anybody remember the manna meal?
Manna was the special recipe from Heaven’s kitchen that feeds the Israelites for the forty years they were on an excursion in the wilderness
But something happened when they got to the border of Canaan – it stopped raining food.
Someone turned off the tap and cut off their supply of miracle food. It seemed like a new transition in life that nothing in their early years had prepared them for.
They were born in the desert and had lived all their growing years seeing Manna show up every day.
No need to work, just wake and collect the food of angels.
Why did it stop? Was God angry with them?
Perhaps it was because they were suffering for the sins of their parents?
Maybe they needed to go for deliverance from generational punishment.
It’s Transition Time
Transition or change is one of the most difficult processes to go through.
Especially when the transition is from comfort to discomfort.
From waking up to gather Manna, they now had to become farmers.
They had to learn to plow the earth, plant the seed, nurture it and wait for the harvest.
Harvest time was another different matter. Harvesting was hard work.
The rules had changed and things were now difficult.
So, they must have thought
But were they really now difficult?
When God Stops A Miracle
Was God being wicked to the new generation of Israelites?
Why would He let them grow up the easy way and make things difficult just when they were beginning to enjoy the party?
I think the reason is a lot more benevolent than we might guess.
It probably has more to do with a God’s grander vision for them.
First, God has always wanted partners with him.
That’s probably why He did not make Adam to just sit back and enjoy the scenic view of Eden. He put Adam in the garden to work it.
Second, I think God likes to multiply what we do more than doing everything for us.
It’s this second point that I think is the real nut to crack
God can do everything and He doesn’t need anybody’s help.
But He prefers to bless what we do more than Him doing it all by Himself
God was probably more excited about blessing them with an agricultural increase rather than sending daily manna
Having God bless our work also has an even greater reward for us – we get to understand how God wants things done
The Invisible God At Work
Blessing the work of our hands is also one of the ways God likes to stay unseen in the daily activities of our lives.
He sits back and sees if we will acknowledge that we got our stuff because we knew the magic.
For example, the people living in Canaan before the Israelites were already planting and reaping big bounties on the land before the Israelites showed up.
They obviously did not ascribe that to God. They could tie it down to good old-fashioned planting and harvesting season
It was meant to be different for the Israelites.
They were meant to do the same thing but ascribe the bountiful harvest to God
Not nature but God at work in the background blessing their efforts of planting and nurturing the seed till it leads to a great harvest (Deu 8:18).
This does not diminish their efforts, they were to live to understand that they are partners with God
They do the work, God blesses the work
But if they don’t do the work, there is nothing for God to bless.
Why You May Not Get A Miracle
Praying for a miracle? You can keep at it but I think it might also be a good thing if you start doing something that God can bless.
God wants to bless the work of your hands so it’s probably a good thing to have your hands on the job.
Not giving us the miracle of manna may the shock therapy we need to spur us into action
I am not sure about this but I have a nagging feeling that God wants to bless the work we do so we can actively change the world with Him.
God can do all things by Himself but by blessing your work, He is letting you do the work with Him.
Nothing wrong praying for a miracle but get up and do something.
Like He trained the Israelites cutting off manna, He might be doing the same to you: giving you no Manna so you can cultivate your land of Canaan
It’s time to cultivate your Canaan
