OUT OF MY DEPTH
MIRACLES, MEANS AND MANNA
MIRACLES ARE GIVEN WHEN NOTHING ELSE WILL DO BY PAUL CARTER
W
hen should we pray and when should we work? If we try to do something in the strength that God supplies does that indicate a lack of faith? If we pray for God to do something for us that we could do for ourselves does that indicate a lack of gratitude and initiative? These are important questions that every believer wrestles with at some point or another in his or her Christian journey. Thankfully the Bible does seem to address these questions fairly frequently — in fact, I ran across a passage just today in my Bible reading that touched upon it. In Acts 12 the Apostle Peter is in prison. The Apostle James has just been beheaded and Herod the King appeared to have similar plans for all the main leaders of the Jesus movement in Jerusalem. Things were looking grim and humanly speaking, the situation appeared to be impossibly dire. That is always a good time to pray. Acts 12:5 says succinctly: “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” (Acts 12:5 ESV) The church asked God to do what they had no power to do for themselves — and God did it. He sent an angel who put the guards to sleep and who caused Peter’s shackles to fall to the ground and who opened doors that had previously been locked shut. Acts 12:10 brings that part of the story to a close. "When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they
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went out and went along one street, I think the point is that supernatural and immediately the angel left him." power and provision are not given (Acts 12:10 ESV) for our entertainment or amusement And immediately the angel left him. and it is never intended to replace the As I read that I couldn't help but be normal means of effort, thought and reminded of the story of the wandering human ingenuity. and conquest that I read just a few days Miracles are given when nothing else ago in the RMM Bible will do. Grace, help and SUPERNATURAL Reading Plan. During the guidance are given when time of the wilderness those things — combined POWER AND wandering it would have with faith, effort and PROVISION ARE taken a miracle of God initiative will do. NOT GIVEN FOR OUR to feed all those mouths The Bible seems to be in the desert — and so suggesting that we are ENTERTAINMENT. God did a miracle; every not to expect or demand day for 40 years he sent the people or become addicted to extraordinary manna — never too much but always provision. We should be grateful and enough and just on time. industrious with what we have — and But then something very interesting yet neither should we ever doubt or happened. disbelieve that God can and may do When the people of Israel crossed a miracle should it be required — and the River Jordan and entered the should it serve his glory. Promised Land — the manna stopped. We need to be capable of both/and "The people of Israel ate the manna thinking. forty years, till they came to a habitable Ordinary means are wonderful. land. They ate the manna until they And miraculous provision is wonderful. came to the border of the land of The LORD has many tools in the Canaan." (Exodus 16:35 ESV) toolbox and each tool has its job and At first glance, it might sound function; thanks be to God! like they simply chose not to eat manna once they had access to arable land — but that isn't what the Bible / PAUL CARTER hosts a radio and podcast says. Joshua 5 is more explicit: program called Into The Word that takes "And the manna ceased the day listeners chapter by chapter and verse by after they ate of the produce of the verse through whole books of the Bible. land." (Joshua 5:12 ESV) To find the most recent episodes visit That’s the connection that immedica.thegospelcoalition.org; to find older ately came to mind. That sounds a lot episodes and series or learn about the like what the Bible says in Acts 12:10: M'Cheyne or RMM Bible Reading Plan "and immediately the angel left him." visit intotheword.ca. The podcast is also (Acts 12:10 ESV) available on iTunes.
