If you've read the Bible at all, or even remember any of the stories you heard in Sunday School, you'll remember that the most miraculous, memorable events didn't happen by any common means.
The situations that people found themselves in were common to man, alright--death, disease, debt, war, famine, slavery--but not God's solutions.
God said it Himself in Isaiah 55...
'"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," saith the Lord.'
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."' [Isaiah 55:8,9]
But that's not what it means!
First, God is NOT the author of calamity, not since Jesus bore the punishment for the whole world's sin at Calvary. Jesus said it Himself in John 10:10..."The thief comes ONLY to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY; I CAME that they may have LIFE, and have it ABUNDANTLY!"
Actually, the Greek word perissos in this verse means exceeding--some number or measure or rank over and above, more than is necessary, superadded exceeding abundantly, supremely, something further, more, much more than all, more plainly superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon, pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent!
Anyway you translate it, it's ALL GOOD! So stop trying to prove God's motivation for doing bad stuff to us with these verses...it's clear He's not the bad guy. Instead, why don't we try to see what He is really talking about?
God's MO
I think one thing God is talking about in Isaiah 55 is His MO, or modus operandi. If you've ever watched Law and Order, or even old re-runs of Perry Mason, you know what the MO is. It's the how..the method or technique...the procedure, or way of doing things.
And He goes on in Isaiah 55 to tells us what that is...
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there withoutwatering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." [Isaiah 55:10,11]
God is saying that His MO--His way of doing things--is not man's way. He brings things to pass with His mouth! He says it, and it happens. Actually, if you've been born again of that imperishable seed, which is the living and enduring word of God [1 Peter 1:23] these ways become your ways, too! Jesus told us plainly to speak to mountains, trees and sick bodies, and then He demonstrated! [Read the Yad posts...]
First, God says it. Then, He chooses a mode of fulfillment that is usually not the first thing we would think of! In Deliverance in a Day, He SAID they would be delivered in a day, then used lepers to deliver the besieged city! Not an army, not a band of angels, lepers!
When God told Elijah He would keep him safe during the drought, He SAID it, then ravens brought him food! He SAID He's deliver the Israelites from captivity, then split the Red Sea. He SAID He'd send a King to Israel, a Messiah, then He sent Jesus and raised Him from the dead! Not what they were looking for...
Really, there are two things going on here. God's MO always starts with His Word. But the fulfillment of that Word may not look like anything you could've imagined! He promised Israel a Messiah, then had a 16 year-old virgin conceive the Son of God! He SAID He was going to wipe out the evil in the earth, then shut up a man, his family and animals on a big boat and flooded the earth!
When the blind man came to Jesus for sight, Jesus made clay with His spit and put it on the man's eyes! God had already declared in the Old Covenant that He had sent His Word to heal...but the Word sure had a different way of bringing that healing to pass!
God always starts with His Word, and His Word is already forever settled in heaven [Psalm 119:89]. His works were indeed finished from the foundation of the world [Hebrews 4:3}. But His MO in the earth is probably going to be something you wouldn't have thought of.
God has declared us freed from all thing, from which we could not be free through the Law of Moses [Acts 13:39]. But that freedom might come by wise men on camels!
What's the Point?
The point is this: don't box God in. God is not limited to our three dimensional thinking--He's quantum all the way.
He's already declared us free, healed, wealthy, delivered in Christ Jesus, and it is already finished. Don't limit your faith to the commonplace for the manifestation--confess your deliverance, then believe that He will perform His forever settled Word for you.
Watch out, though...it just might come via raven or fish...or as in Balaam's case [Numbers 22:28-31] through the word of an ass!
