I want to ask you, what is your picture of God? Think about this and hold it in your mind for a few minutes. I posted this question to an internet newsgroup to see what kind of ideas people had. I'm going to mention several responses:

God is invisible as far as physical appearance goes. God is the light that no man can approach, he's so bright. He can do anything he wants. He is the only arbitrary being in existence, because he is all powerful. If you were to see God face to face, you'd die. He's just too powerful. It'd be like trying to fill a thimble with a 100 foot tidal wave. Our flesh isn't made to handle it.

He looks like Jesus and He seems to have an astounding ability to continually forgive heinous crimes against His own Person.

John 14:9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Many men saw the Messiah and only saw another man. But some saw His compassion, His mercy, His great love. They saw as He fed the five thousand and came to know who had been in their midst. This remnant of Israel saw with the eyes of faith. They looked past the flesh and perceived by the Spirit. These saw the Father. If we know Jesus, we know the Father.

I think only Moses ever saw God, and he only saw God's "hinderparts", so I guess Moses could tell you what God's backside looks like!

Maybe your picture is like Santa, "You better watch out, you better not pout, you better not cry, I'm telling you why."

Maybe it's like a small box. You put him in a small box and only let him out on special occassions.

Some people picture Him as being asleep. He already did his job, now he doesn't do anything. This view actually seems pretty common. This view holds that God doesn't heal, God doesn't perform miracles, God doesn't help His people anymore. One basis for this is that there is no verse in the Bible saying, "God will do miracles after New Testament times."

That's one way to look at it. Here's another: Here is every verse in the entire bible saying God will stop doing miracles: (Blank Sheet)

The first verse in the bible: Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." That's a big miracle.

The second to last verse: Revelation 22:20 "He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." A man who died saying he will come soon, that's another big one.

God did miracles at the beginning of time and will continue to do miracles at the end of time. We live in between.

Now, I am making a distinction between spiritual gifts given to men and God's working on His own. I believe the Bible indicates that the spiritual gifts (such as tongues, prophecy, healing) given to men was temporary, for the purpose of revealing the Word. Such purpose has been accomplished, and as indicated in 1 Cor 13:8 "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." the time for such gifts have ceased.

Many brethren have deduced that when the spiritual gifts ceased, all miraculous workings of God stopped, even those in which God works directly in answer to prayer. This conclusion is a leap in reasoning unsupported by Scripture. Therefore, I leave myself open to the possibility that if God willed He could easily answer prayer either through His providence or by direct Divine intervention without it violating what the Scriptures teach.

Why pray to God if you think He doesn't do anything? Why pray at all if you think God no longer works? If He doesn't work, you are wasting your time.

Look at Romans 8:28 "And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." This verse says God works! He's not stuck in a box, or asleep. Our God is an active, vibrant God, He is Alive. He's not just sitting on the sideline watching the world go by.

1 Cor 13:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." God works.

James 5:14 "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." God works.

The end conclusion should be: When praying for something (such as someone who is ill), leave it up to God to answer the prayer. I think many people limit God by the nature of their requests, believing the only option open to God is through natural means. At the same time, you shouldn't try to find proof of a "miracle" in every happenstance. If someone you have been praying for recovers, just thank God and don't try to analyze how God answered the prayer. Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." God can do more than we can ask or even imagine. Why should we put a limit on Him?