Both Ordinary and Miraculous

1 Kings 17:2-7

In Isaiah 55:8, God declared, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.” And in fact, one of the biggest challenges of the Christian life stems from a lack of understanding about God’s ways. There are times when we could really use a miracle but He does not come through for us the way we think He should.

God works in both supernatural and ordinary ways, and He determines the method. For example, in today’s passage, Elijah ate food miraculously delivered by ravens, but his water supply from a brook was natural. When it dried up, the Lord could have made more water spring from the ground, but He didn’t.

Sometimes God uses ordinary means to move us in a new direction. The curtailment of Elijah’s water supply opened the door for his next assignment. When the Lord withholds miraculous intervention and lets your “brook” dry up, then He has something else planned for you.

The work of God in the commonplace aspects of life is just as miraculous as His supernatural intervention. Look for His “fingerprint” in the day’s mundane activities. He is there, opening and shutting doors, closing up one opportunity while also beginning another.