From Powerless To PowerfulSample

Timing and Purpose

At least four factors mark the difference between a miraculous sign and a natural phenomenon: timing, location, purpose and prediction. And these factors also help us personally determine God’s will; so, a quick overview of two of them is helpful.

Timing

When Moses declared the plague of flies, for example, he told Pharaoh, “This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow,” and it did. When he said Egypt would be devastated by hail “at this time tomorrow,” hail came down at that very hour! This precise and accurate timing indicated not a natural occurrence, but a divinely planned one. We’ve heard it over and over, and discussed it in detail already: God’s timing is perfect. His miraculous timing rained down manna and quail from heaven to feed Moses and his sojourners. God in His perfect timing, through His magnificent power, accomplishes His eternal will. 

Purpose

Also the acts of God’s power have a higher purpose that is missing from mere natural phenomena. When Jesus walked on water, He did not do so to prove that He could float! He walked on water to demonstrate the power of God—that God could do anything He purposed, regardless of the laws of matter. When He rose from the dead, it wasn’t a carnival trick, but a permanent defeat of death and sin. God’s miracles have a purpose—they are not just a freak show phenomenon. The “why” of miracles and of the plagues was to declare the greatness of God. 

We must possess a personal understanding of this. The miracle of God’s guidance in our lives is not simply to bless us. We can easily slip into thinking that God’s guidance is solely for our own pleasure. But when God is at work opening and closing doors, our lives shine with His greatness for others to see. We aren’t the recipients of the miracle as much as we are the vehicles for it. Like a boomerang, it comes from Him through us, and back to Him. 

Miracles are a combination of a Father lovingly blessing His children and showing His power to others. We are thankful for the blessing but realize the purpose is higher than our perspective. In fact, He said so Himself in the message He gave Moses to deliver to Pharaoh, He said the purpose was: “So you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth”.