我朋友和她丈夫一直面對不孕的問題，於是醫生建議她接受一個醫療手術，但我朋友卻猶豫不決。她說﹕「難道祈禱無法解決不孕的問題，我真的需要動手術嗎？」我朋友想要清楚知道，人類的行動在上帝的工作中有什麼作用。

從耶穌使五千人吃飽的神蹟，可以幫助我們找到答案（馬可福音6章35-44節）。我們或許都知道故事的結局：五個餅和兩條魚就很奇妙地讓五千人吃飽了（42節）。但我們應留意是誰負責餵飽群眾？是門徒（37節）。是誰找到食物？是門徒（38節）。是誰分發、收拾這些食物？是門徒（39-43節）。耶穌對門徒說﹕「你們給他們吃吧！」（37節）耶穌施行了神蹟，而門徒以行動配合。

豐收固然是出於上帝的恩典（詩篇65篇9-10節），但農夫必須辛勤耕耘。耶穌告訴彼得「下網打魚」，彼得就必須撒網（路加福音5章4-6節）。即使沒有我們，上帝當然還是會滋潤大地、施行神蹟，但祂通常會選擇與人同工。

我朋友最終完成了手術，後來成功受孕。雖然這不是經歷神蹟的公式，但對我和我朋友來說，這讓我們領悟到：上帝常常透過祂賜給人類的方法，來成就祂的奇妙作為。

When my friend and her husband struggled to conceive, doctors recommended she have a medical procedure done. But my friend was hesitant. “Shouldn’t prayer be enough to fix our problem?” she asked. “Do I really need to do the procedure?” My friend was trying to work out what role human action has in seeing God work.

The story of Jesus feeding the crowd can help us here (Mark 6:35-44). We may know how the story ends—thousands of people are miraculously fed with just a little bread and some fish (v. 42). But notice who is to feed the crowd? The disciples (v. 37). And who provides the food? They do (v. 38). Who distributes the food and cleans up afterward? The disciples (vv. 39-43). “You give them something to eat,” Jesus said (v. 37). Jesus did the miracle, but it happened as the disciples acted.

A good crop is a gift from God (Psalm 65:9-10), but a farmer must still work the land. Jesus promised Peter “a catch” of fish but the fisherman still had to cast his nets (Luke 5:4-6). God can tend the earth and do miracles without us but typically chooses to work in a divine-human partnership.

My friend went through with the procedure and later successfully conceived. While this is no formula for a miracle, it was a lesson for my friend and me. God often does His miraculous work through the methods He’s placed in our hands.