SOME MIRACLES ARE PROCESSES

I am guilty at times of perceiving Miracles as instant acts of God. Survey says, (buzzer sound) wrong! Not that God does not work instant miracles, but some miracles are processes. In this sin stricken, death and decay ravaged world, our faith must be lived out through our trials.

The first miracle Jesus ministered, the water turned into wine, was a process. Let us look at the Scripture.

"Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water'; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.'" (John 2:6-8)

So, we have six stone water jars, vats or containers. The stone vats were empty otherwise Jesus would not have instructed for the servants to fill them - 'Fill the jars with water'. The reasonable assumption here is that the servants went and drew water from the well to fill the stone vats. 

Unless the servants had the cup of an attendee itself, which would be unsanitary to dip in the vat, I would submit the servants were instructed to take pitchers and dip them into the vats and then serve the master and his guests cups the new wine. Then he told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.'  It was a Process.

From the instruction of Jesus to the well, to the filling of the vats, to the dipping of the pitchers, to the serving in the cups - this process and others like it have made me ask The Lord many times..."Lord, will you not just minister your miraculous power instantly?" Most of the time in my life His answer is "No."

Sometimes I get the lesson of waiting, sometimes I am absolutely frustrated, but Christians are in good company. The woman with the issue of blood had to endure her condition twelve years before her opportunity of healing came along in person (Matthew 9:20-22). 

The man by the pool of Bethesda was out maneuvered to the pool where the waters were stirred for healing by an agent of God for thirty-eight years. Then Jesus came by and with a few words healed the man (John 5:1-9). 

Jesus, after hearing that Lazarus was gravely ill, did not visit the one He loved until Lazarus was dead and buried for four days. Yet, the stone was rolled away, the King of Life called Lazarus's name and commanded him to come out of the grave - not some half-dead zombie weirdo, but an alive, healed and whole person that He knew and loved (John 11:1-44).

These cases took time and tested the faith of all those around the experiences. Jesus could have been there in the beginning of the blood issue and healed the woman. Jesus could have made provision for the weak man by the pool to have his healing early on in the pool, if not by some other means. Jesus could have come immediately to the bedside of Lazarus at the news of the illness that eventually took his life and said a word or just touched him to save him from that ordeal.

However, if we observe the prayer of Jesus before the raising of Lazarus, we get a glimpse of hope, we see a glimmer of a plan.

"Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.'" (John 11:41-42)

I have to believe that God has a plan, because to believe otherwise is utter chaos and Yahweh is the God of order. Even in God's orchestrations I desire His wonder-working power to be instant, but we all have to realize Some Miracles Are Processes.