Whenever I speak at writers’ workshops and conferences, I often share my testimony of how God opened the publishing doors for me at my very first writers’ conference. In fact, I pitched two children’s books at that conference and ended up with two contracts from two different publishing houses. Then I always say, “God put His ‘super’ to my ‘natural’!”
Of course, that statement often raises questions, so I go on to explain that if I hadn’t researched what publishing houses were going to be at that particular conference, prepared my manuscripts in a professional manner, practiced my pitch and made appointments to meet with those two publishers, I wouldn’t have walked away with two book contracts in the highly competitive children’s book market. I had to do my part so God could do His.
If I had stayed home from the conference and prayed for God to somehow get my stories published but never sent them off to any publisher, then I’d still be unpublished and “believing God” for His supernatural intervention.
Too many of us are waiting on God to act when He is waiting on us to be obedient and do what He has called us to do in the natural, so He can add His “super” to it.
The Bible is full of examples of this principle. Let’s look at three:
- God told Moses to raise up his staff, and when he did, God parted the sea so that the Israelites could cross over on dry ground. But, Moses had to do his part—raising up his staff. (Exodus 14)
- God instructed Joshua to have all of his men march around Jericho one time, every day for six days. Then, on the seventh day, they were instructed to march around the city seven times and have the priests blow the trumpets and the others shout the victory on that seventh time, and at that moment, God said He would do the supernatural—cause the wall around the city to fall down—which, of course, He did! But they had to do their part first—walking around the city, blowing the trumpets, and shouting. (Joshua 6)
- It was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and Jesus and His disciples were there with Mary, the mother of Jesus. When the wine ran out, Mary told Jesus the situation. Jesus told the servants to fill the six stone pots with water. So, they did. And, then Jesus told them to draw some out and take it to the headwaiter, which they did. When the headwaiter tasted the water, it had become wine. Jesus did the supernatural but the servants had to do their part—fill up the stone pots with water and draw some out to take to the headwaiter. (John 2)
God will never do our part. But, if we obey Him and do what we know to do, He will do His part, which always leads to the supernatural outcome we desire. So, if you’ve been waiting on God to do the supernatural in your life, ask Him what part He wants you to play and then obey. His “super” is sure to follow…
