Humans seem to jump from one extreme to the other. For example, Peter refused for Jesus to wash his feet; however, when Jesus indicated it was a good idea, then Peter went to the opposite extreme, to wash the entire body. Jesus brought Peter back from this extreme also.

We may have heard horror tales of someone who believed in God's miraculous deliverance, and because of such a belief, refused natural methods - and suffered as a result.

There is a story that goes something like this: a man is in his house during a flood. Early on, before the water got too deep, a 4-wheel drive vehicle came by and the driver offered to take the man to safety. The man replied, "No, thank you; my Lord will save me." Then later, the water is several feet deep in the house, when another offer of help comes from a boat floating by. Again the man refuses the assistance. The water level increases, and the man goes upstairs to the second level. Out of the window he sees a second boat, which hails him and offers to take him away to safety. The man again refuses, saying "My Lord will save me." Later the water levels increase so much that the man climbs onto the roof of his house. A helicopter approaches him and a voice offers him a trip to safety. The man again says "My Lord will save me."

The next scene is in heaven. The man stands before the throne and asks God, "Why didn't you save me? I trusted you! You let me down!"

God replies, "What do you mean by saying I let you down? I sent a Jeep, 2 boats, and a helicopter!"

The moral of this story is that, soemtimes, possibly natural methods could be God's assistance.

On one hand - or one extreme - one could argue for no natural methods, and just trusting in God. On the other hand - the opposite extreme - one could argue for natural methods only.

When we consider someone in need, possibly discouraged, we think of that person as one that could use some encouragement. To talk of God's provision can be encouraging, which could also involve natural methods; however, this should not be taken to one extreme, claiming that only supernatural methods are allowed and that all natural methods are to be avoided. Also this should not be taken to the other opposite extreme that there is no God, thus no hope,  possibly leading to discouragement. The value of optimism and hope is well known, so hope in God would seem to be useful. However, this should not be distorted into avoiding natural methods.

In fact, who created those natural methods? Scientists? Well, scientists may formulate and create a chemical. Who created the atoms? The scientists? No, God.

To consider whether God uses natural methods, we can examine the scriptures. Briefly, we note that God used a wind to part the Red Sea. He also created the natural processes we see in nature - like seeds. Instead of creating every generation of plants miraculously, after the first, God planned and created the natural process of seeds for plants to reproduce. For more on this topic, see https://creation-controversy.com/forum-topic/natural-processes-creation.