You  meet many people these days who are doing foolish things and who want to do foolish things.  If you ask them about they’ll say, well, God can do miracles.  Sure, for example, making your faith go progressive has torpedoed every single church to try it (see here and here), but This Time Its Different.

But, on the other hand, God does do miracles.  Often required when He gives commands that seem foolish to the wisdom of the world.

Here are three keys to distinguish the situations where God will do miracles from those where we are wishful thinking.

1.  Contrary to worldly wisdom.  God’s miracles fly in  the face of worldly wisdom.  He makes possible what the world says is impossible.  What He does not do is exercise his power to make possible the things the world says are possible that are not.  In other words, if the Great and Spacious is telling another one its lies but a clear-eyed assessment of reality shows they are lying, God is not going to work miracles to bring reality into comformance with their lies.  Miracles never make wickedness into happiness.

2.  Commanded by God.  Miracles only happen when God commands.

Require not miracles, except I shall command you, except casting out devils, healing the sick, and against poisonous serpents, and against deadly poisons;

-D&C 24:13.  They do not happen because you think it would be neat, or really really convenient.

3.  When people are conscious of the need for a miracle.  Real  miracles occur when Saints are conscious of their need for a miracle.  They see that they need one and ask for it.  Real miracles are not a handwavy afterthought that people bring up only when challenged on their folly.