GOD DOES WONDERFUL THINGS
“Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number” (JOB 5:9)
God’s wonders are supernatural acts beyond human understanding. Through extraordinary signs, the God of wonders demonstrates His limitless power, His inescapable presence, His divine protection, and His sovereign purposes. In each instance, God’s wondrous works are designed to draw people to Himself. Through His most stunning of all miracles, the God of wonders revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, overcame the power of sin and death, and redeemed His people for all eternity (John 1:12-13).These marvelous works by the God of wonders are unique displays of divine power that go far beyond human ability and power. His power is marvelous and beyond the ability of our finite minds to fully comprehend.
A miracle is a divine operation that transcends what is normally perceived as natural law; it cannot be explained on any natural basis. It is an event which the forces of nature – including the natural powers of man – cannot produce.
Wonders are beyond human knowledge or reasoning; they are seen but the working power and manner of doing them are not seen (they are removed from our senses). They cannot be imitated. Only God can perform wonders; those that do magic by the devil’s art or power are fake – like the magicians in Exodus 8:18. Wonders are hard and difficult to perform by man, they are too hard for us; “God said, Is anything too hard for me” (Genesis 18:14). There is nothing wonderful to God, He carries out miraculous works and He alone can-do great wonders. God is a God of wonder.
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The particular effects of God’s power, wisdom and goodness can be seen in natural things. The works of nature are mysteries because they proceed from divine power. Can you tell how the bones grow in woman’s womb? It is a wonder when an infant is brought alive from the womb, as well as raising a man from the dead. Who can give a natural reason of the strength of the lower limbs, of the heat in the stomach, of the colors in the rainbow, of the ebbing and flowing of the sea? How large and vast is the sun? Who can describe the smallness in the mite? Look on the face of the world, how many inhabitants are there, visible and invisible. The number of Heavenly bodies are so enormous. Wonders!
The natural wonders of the world are astonishing features:
1. Mount Everest, the highest spot on earth, at 8,848 meters above sea level.
2. Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, surrounded by unique granite mountains that were formed by erosion from the Atlantic Ocean.
3. The Great Barrier Reef, made up of over 1,900 individual reefs that are composed of millions of tiny coral polyps and includes more than 900 islands.
4. Victoria Falls, the largest single sheet of flowing water in height and width, plunging 354 feet down.
5. Grand Canyon, an extremely well-known gorge.
6. Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, appears in the sky as glowing, vividly colored lights that spread all over the horizon.
7. Paricutin Volcano, the only volcano in history whose birth was witnessed and completely documented by human, which erupted in 1943 till 1952.
8. Niagara Falls, a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge.
Man-made Wonders of the world include a range of structures from buildings to monuments, statues and bridges – The great wall of China, Petra, Christ the redeemer, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Colosseum, Taj Mahal and the great pyramid of Giza.
(Quoted from several sources on the internet)
All these Natural and man-made features depict the unsearchable works of God, which are full of wonders.
If you said to someone: "My God does great and unsearchable things; He does wonders without number," and they responded, "Really? Like what?" would you say, "Rain"? In Job's mind, rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does (Job 5:10).
Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Yes, it is.
THE WONDERS OF THE RAIN
Every shower of rain drops reveal the greatness of God. “He gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields” (Job 5:10). He sends rain on errand to bring or carry the blessings of plenty, and drop fatness on the earth. He gives rain to the earth, and the earth gives her increase. The rain is His gift to the earth, not the clouds. The cloud receives a commission from God to distill and dissolve on man. The spongiest clouds cannot distill more than the rock did in the wilderness (Exodus 17) except the Lord speaks to them. “When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the Heavens, He cause the vapor to ascend from the ends of the earth” (Jeremiah 10 :13). No single drop of rain falls from Heaven till He utter His voice.
God caused rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up (Amos 4 :7). There is a special discriminating work about the rain. It rains by appointment, not by accident, upon one place, rather than another. “I will command the clouds, that they shall not rain upon it” (Isaiah 5:6); the clouds are full of rain but they cannot let out one drop of rain or stop raining until God commands them (Psalm 68:9). Elisha prayed till it rained (1 kings 17:1; 18:41-45) because his prayer of faith prevails with the God of Heavens; all the power of man cannot prevail with the Heavens to rain.
It is a great, wonderful and unsearchable work of God to send rain; so great and wonderful that no creature can communicate with God or share in the honor of His work. In every drop of rain, there is an ocean of wisdom, power, goodness and beauty. If we study the ordinary works of God, we shall see the extraordinary in them; common things are full of wonders.
There is a marvelous power seen in causing and giving rain. Is it not marvelous power that raises the vapor and hold it? A sea of water above the earth. Such mighty floods of water hang in the air, which are distilled and sprinkled down in small drops. This is a wonderful power of God.
There is also a wonder of beauty in sending rain upon those places which are hardly inhabited by man, like the Amazon Rain forest. “He brings rain upon a land without inhabitants, a desert in which no human beings live” (Job 38:26). God will not want any herb or plant to waste, even if no man come there, yet the grass and shrubs shall have drinks and taste of His beauty.
“Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens?” (Job 38:37); No one can beat this challenge. The Lord Himself seems to take glory in this, as one of His great works. “How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.” (Job 36:26)
OUR DUTY AS CHRISTIANS
1. We must acknowledge the hand of God in wonders. His wondrous works declare that His name is near (Psalm 75:1). They declare the presence of God among us (Psalm 78:12). Wonders are rare things, things seldom done or seen.
2. God will marvel at our unbelief, when we doubt His Wonders. Jesus Christ marvel at the unbelief of his countrymen; “He was amazed at their lack of faith “(Mark 6:6). Unbelief is a great sin at all times, especially when wonders are being done.
3. Having seen the extraordinary things that God did for us, let our repentance and the change of our lives be marvelous. Let our zeal and courage for Christ be marvelous (Acts 4:13).
4. We should make our love and thanksgiving towards the things of God to be great. Our prayer, faith and holy duties should improve greatly towards the wonder working God (Matthew 15:28).
5. We shouldn’t attempt to do anything beyond our strength so as not to tempt God, and call him to work a miracle for us (Psalm 131:1). The Lord will work wonders to relieve our necessities and help our faith, but He will never (unless in wrath) work wonders to please our humors or comply with our ambition.
6. We should depend on God for all-natural comforts. He gives Rain. All creatures drink from Heaven so that they may have their eyes and their hearts in Heaven. If we must depend on God for natural comforts, then we must rely on Him for the dews of His spirit, and the rain of grace upon our hearts.
7. Before Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River to enter the promised land, he gave them this instruction: “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do great wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5). Let us purify our hearts and wait for great wonders from God. He will do extraordinary things among us which shall make us a wonder of mercy or judgment to all the nations of the world.
Have you ever experienced the wonders of God? He delights in putting His glory on display! The Psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1).
Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever, Wisdom and Power are His. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
James Dina
james@mountzionblog.org
July 17,2020
https://mountzionblog.org/god-does-wonderful-things/
(Outlines quoted from JOSEPH CARYL study- "EXPOSITION OF JOB with practical observation").
