Miracle is A Two-Way Street

Recently, I often hear people claiming they believe in God, who walks in the realm of impossibility. They have faith in the Lord, who makes all things possible for all who trust in Him.
I say "Amen!" to that.

But, sometimes, people respond to the above notion a bit out of the intended scope. Yes, it's true: our Lord, the Creator of the Universe, is the "Maker of Miracles, working wonders."
Nevertheless, He does not always work that way!
If He does, what's the need to establish the natural axioms of the universe for?

Let's take some miraculous examples:

- Abraham had a son at 100 years old. How miraculous!
But, look at it closely: there was a span of 25 years between the moment God gave the promise until it was finally fulfilled. Abraham had to prove his faith to God and serve Him wholeheartedly until he was proven worthy to receive the fulfillment of God's promise.
Beside, Isaac was not born out of thin air. He was conceived for nine months and was delivered naturally from the womb of his aged mother, Sarah.

- Joshua cried out to God and the entire solar system stopped moving. Awesome!
But it only happened because Joshua was out on a military campaign prompted by the will of God, not his own.
It was God's will and power that stopped the movement of the sun and moon, and He heard Joshua's prayer because he was a general who understood the will of God.

- Over 5,000 people were fed and be filled when Jesus broke the five loaves and two fishes. But Jesus did not perform the miracle before they had followed Him for three days on foot, only to listen attentively to His teaching.
Their faith and longing for His words were the reasons behind their following the Lord, despite the long journey, hunger, and thirst. In turn, it moved the Lord's heart with compassion. And a miracle happened!

- Many people were healed from their illnesses and demon-possession in the days of the apostles. But, did they simply come casually and received healing without a price? No!
During the early years of the church, Christianity was banned and considered a threat to the status quo. Anyone who believed and accepted the teaching should be marked as a traitor and ought to answer to the authority.
So, these people came to the apostles to be miraculously healed in full understanding that, by doing so, they could forfeit their very lives! It was their faith and courage that allowed God to perform miracles in them.

What I am saying is: God is truly the God of miracles who walks in the realm of impossibility, but in all things, there is a process!

We can't expect God to work miracles in our lives and blow our problems away in a single flick of His fingers!
That is not His modus of operation.
This is God's way of dealing with man: teamwork.
Meaning?

We handle all the possible, He'll handle the impossible.
We work out the process, He'll come out with the result.
We follow His will through His words, He'll fulfill His wonderful plans in our lives.
We pray, He'll act.

Miracle is a two-way street: we do our part, God does His.
And when the miracle takes place, we'll realize that He doesn't merely change the situation. He changes our hearts as well.
And compared to the new person He has forged us into, the miracle itself will seem smaller than it's expected at the beginning.

Our God is not only beyond impossibility.
He is way beyond imagination!
Amen.