Some believe that in order for God to be actively at work in His creation today He would have to be performing miracles. This appears to ignore that most of God’s activities in both the Old and New Testaments were non-miraculous. The story of Joseph is but one of many examples. Although men, with all their lusts, jealousies and deceptions, were exercising their free wills in the matter of Joseph, he could say, “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20; 45:5-8). The Bible attributes David’s success against the lion, bear, and Goliath to the help of God (l Samuel 17:37, 45-47). Are we to label these “miraculous”? The Lord was able to work a great victory through Shammah’s willingness to stand in a field of lentils and defend it against the Philistines (2 Samuel 23:11-12). When we, by faith, stand in our own bean fields today, can’t God work great victories through us without performing miracles? When He does, is it correct for His followers to claim He is working only in and through the Word?
The Bible says God can deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:3), and open doors of opportunity (1 Corinthians 16:7; Colossians 4:2-3; Revelation 3:8). Can He? Does He? By faith, we can say, “Most assuredly!” Does God need to perform a miracle to do so? No, He does not! Surely, those who believe and trust in the Lord can confidently sing, “Lord I believe, yes, I believe, I cannot doubt or be deceived; the eye that sees each sparrow fall, His unseen hand is in it all.”
In contemplating the majesty of Jehovah, Jack Cottrell, in his excellent book What The Bible Says About God The Ruler, wrote:
Who is this God who holds the entire universe in the palm of his hand, and preserves it from oblivion by the mere force of his wi11? Who is this One whose power and presence penetrate and envelope every particle of the cosmos? What kind of God holds the reins of nature so that clouds turn, snow falls, thunder roars, and stars explode at his command? What kind of God knows every star and sparrow by name, and cares about them? What kind of God is this who can endow the crown of his creation with free will and still maintain constant control over the events and flow of history? How shall we describe the God who turns kings’ hearts wherever he wills; who metes out life and death, blessing and calamity….
How thankful we ought to be that this one true God is our God. We must never think, say, or do anything that would take away from His glory and majesty. Limiting Him to working only in and through the written Word does just that and is, I am convinced, a serious mistake.
Good article Allan. Keep up the good work you have always done. God will be glorified. Think of you and your good wife often. We must all, as God’s children, do what we can to the best of our ability while here we live. Gwen and I often pray that God would continue to use us in His work, where ever we are, and in any way we might be of benefit to His Cause, even in our now “older age.” In a miraculous way? I think not!!
Thanks, Dwight. The disposition of which you speak is something we should all be seeking to emulate.