In the dispensation of Grace, God has changed a lot of the details of life, or the rules of living, as opposed to those for Israel under the law. We do not live in the law dispensation, so we cannot expect to experience life in the same way that we read in the Old Testament or the Gospels. We also cannot expect God to respond to us today as He did in the old ways under the law.
Where the old ways of law were focused on the external,
the
way of grace today puts focus on the internal.
Under the old law dispensation, Jews required signs (1 Cor.1:22), God's glory was present behind a veil in a stone temple, signs and miracles were visible in the natural realm, bodies were healed, prison doors were opened, etc. In other words, the focus was on the physical because God was working according to the rules of life defined under this old law dispensation.
Today, the rules of the grace dispensation do not focus greatly on the physical and the external. God's focus is on our spirit and He is working on our inner man, that regenerated new creature as we read in Paul's second book to the Corinthians, (2 Cor.5:17). In many cases, God does not take away the hardships and trials and illness and tragedies, because these are the very tools that shape us, and refine and strengthen us. God takes us through these, not because He is angry, or to punish us. He does not abandon us in our hour of need, NO! God never promised that our salvation would cause us to walk the high road of ease, or allow us to lie down in a bed of roses. What God does promise us is the miracle of GRACE. His grace will carry us through to the other side. His grace will work things out for our good. His grace will help us to be a testimony for others and show them His love. His grace will make our faith stronger and earn for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
God shows Himself strong today by the working of His grace in the inner man. The physical and temporal things are of less consequence than the state of our heart. The inner man is of greatest concern to Him. Though God can still do miracles today if He chooses, His focus is more on molding our spirit and not on appeasing our flesh and circumstances. The miracles and wonders occurring today are evident on the inside of us. God resides in us through the Holy Spirit and His Word (as much as we expose ourselves to it), is in constant operation, sanctifying our thoughts and desires so that the outflow of life through us results in faith in Him, and love, joy, and peace.
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