Can I share a theory, though you didn’t ask me about God’s not working “that way” anymore?
I don’t believe God ever worked through the miraculous PRIMARILY. In the establishing of the New Testament He empowered the apostles in a way that is CLEARLY not happening in the same way now (except in some people’s heads). The letter to the Hebrews speaks of it in the past tense, also.
The Psalms speak of things He did “of old” and were expected to be spoken about to successive generations and BELIEVED in by faith. I believe he parted the Red Sea by faith. I can visualize it to some degree but I KNOW He did it. Faith! God does not endlessly part seas and give healing power such as that one who basks in the apostle’s shadow is HEALED! As in healed, for real, ON THE SPOT. For free. By Grace. Not laboriously or through wrangling or subterfuge. Such a healed person does not need a Kenneth Hagin tract on HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEALING (imagine the absurdity of someone following behind Jesus or the apostles...).
It is His to choose when and where He shows himself in visible, miraculous power. I’ve never met a believer who denied Him this. But I’ve met some who build a mountain out of a molehill and every thing in their life is above and beyond! They have issues, okay? Simple faith is not their forte.
An epigram for our times of Obama:
“The Tyrant’s device: Whatever is possible is NECESSARY”
This is not God’s way. What He allows he COULD prevent, but does not. He sets limits and operates according to His wisdom when He could do ANYTHING. We should all marvel at His manifold wisdom in what He WITHOLDS as much as any thing He miraculously does.
I love His patient unfolding of the revelation of His Son Jesus, in “the fullness of time”.
Amen to that and also post 814!
But while I can see where you're coming from, these days I'm childishly literal about the Biblically miraculous. Might be some debris leftover from my time on the multiple concussion syndrome tour, maybe? Not sure.
One thing that does come to mind, what little is left of it anyway, about "keeping your healing"?
Though I don't know where to find it in the Bible, it's that thing about how, when you kick the evil one out and your messy house has been newly cleaned, it's a dangerous time of high vulnerability.
Apparently, Satan doesn't like to give up something he has claimed for himself, I guess, so he sends 'em back in with reinforcements to retake territory in a now unsuspecting, un-walled city, so to speak.
As a perpetually prodigal son who does that "two steps forward/one step back" thing like a line dancer outta step with the times, wherever that passage is in the Bible, it sure supports what I've seen and experienced in life so far.
Then again, I think God has a purpose for Satan just like He does with everything else.
I figure He uses him to test us sometimes in order to check our progress, as well as for resistance to build our spiritual muscles, just like we do in a gym lifting weights and exercising to build our physical muscles and stay in shape.
Every bad thing He touches becomes good, they tell me, and even Satan becomes a good when viewed and used that way.
Plus, the world has become more modern. I think it's like a buddy of mine said about moving to the city and raising kids.
On the farm, it was easy to keep 'em busy doing chores, learning about life and staying out of trouble via life on the farm.
Much harder raising kids and keeping them busy and out of trouble in the city, he tells me.
I heard that. You know what they say about idle hands and the devil, right?
Well, there you go. Sometimes it's not pretty, but God works with what He has and what we give Him to teach us and test our progress, just like any good parent/teacher does and He is the Ultimate Parent/Teacher of them all!
That's the view from here, such as it is.
Thanks for your thought provoking reply! I hope I gave back as good as I got! :)