God's ways are higher - always!

It is very human to expect miracle to happen in the usual way. You think of something exciting and hope things would happen the way you planned.

But remember miracles are miracles because they do not happen the usual way. Otherwise there is no miracle at all, if it happens in the ordinary manner. 

Miracles are miracles because they happen God's way. That is why Bible says in Isa 55:8-9

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says 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.

Israelites were wandering through the wilderness and as always they murmured against God. If you read Numbers 11, the people craved to eat meat and they murmured against the servant of God. They did not cry to God but against God. When Moses brought this cry to God, God promised Moses that he would perform a miracle.

Numbers 11:18-20

18 Then you shall say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?”’”

And since God said it, it would happen, no matter what. It really isn't Moses’ job to figure out how this would happen. That's God problem. But Moses takes it upon himself. He begins making a mental calculation of how God could do something like this. Many times in our life we end up doing the same. We begin to make our guesses, sometimes we make plans on our own and some brilliant people would even start suggesting to God. ‘God, may be you can do this. Or else, try this.’ That's His problem. He is wiser than you. He knows more than what you know or could ever think or imagine.

Moses begins to think. First he counts the number of people. Vs 21 - The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot. So God has to provide meat for so much people. And then he calculates the number of days. Same verse continues yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.

Yet, you have said. Moses thinks God has made a wrong calculation. He is saying, God, don’t you know there are so many men. And Yet how could you say, you are going to provide meat not just for a day or two but for a whole month.

Moses thinks God did some foolishness by over-promising and he gets worried. How is God going to do this? How can God do this?

He thinks next of the resources available with them for God to perform the miracle. He looks around. What do they have with them? They have with them flocks of sheep and may be herds of cattle and probably there may some fish in the sea. But he realises even all this is just not enough for all that God has overpromised them. So Moses asks the next question to God.

Vs 22 - Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”

Moses might seem stupid. But many times in our life, we act just like him. Like Moses, we also see only the obvious. We calculate based on what the requirement is, what are the resources available, what are the means available and we begin to make our suggestions to God.

We see only what we can with our limited vision and think of ways that a miracle could happen. But a miracle is beyond that. A miracle requires faith. And what is faith? Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

Remember faith is not the evidence of things that are seen but rather it is evidence of things that are not seen. How wonderful!

You can never see or imagine what God has in mind for you. Look at God's reply to Moses. Just amazing. God doesn't say to Moses. ‘No, my son. You are doing a wrong calculation. But this is my plan and this is the way I’m going to perform the miracle.’

God doesn’t say that. Are you waiting for a miracle in your life? Don’t expect God to tell you, my child, this is the way I am going to perform a miracle. He might never tell. You’ll have to wait and watch.

God’s reply to Moses was.. Is the Lord's arm shortened?

Numbers 11:23 - And the Lord said to Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.”

If God said it, it will happen. Come what may! Numbers 23:19 - God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

You need great faith because you have a great God who will do things in a great way - beyond what your little brains and minds can think.

I am sure Moses would have been spellbound when he saw the miracle happen.

Numb 11:31,32

31 Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

Miracles need your faith.