Sri Rama’s appeal to Sagara

Thereafter Sri Rama, spreading sacred grass on the sea shore, making a respectful salutation to the great ocean with his face turned eastward lied down with his arm as his pillow. 

Sri Rama, said: " Either crossing of the ocean or a death should occur to me today". Making that resolve he laid down by the ocean, restraining his speech and with a pious disposition according to tradition, spent a time of three nights there.

As the ocean did not appear in his personal form to Sri Rama, who becoming angry with the ocean spoke those words to Lakshmana:

 “I will make the ocean dry up now with my arrows. This ocean is considering me as an incapable man endowed as I am with forbearance. It is a great mistake to show forbearance to such an individual. The Ocean is not appearing himself before me on kind words.”

Sri Rama wielding a bow with his hand became dreadful to look at, as a blazing fire at the end of the world.   Sri Rama released the arrows resembling a powerful thunderbolt of Indra.

Those excellent arrows having a great speed and ablaze by their splendor, penetrated the waters of the ocean, and the great jerk of water, together with the resonance of the wind became very much dreadful.

 Thousands of waves, so large resembling Vindhya and Mandhara mountains, jumped up from the sea with its crocodiles and sea monsters. 

Then Lakshmana rushed towards Sri Rama, who in a terrific velocity was stretching his incomparable bow, crying: "No farther, no farther" and took hold of the bow. 

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Then Sri Rama took up the Brahmastra and was stretching that bow, both the heaven and earth suddenly seemed to be split asunder. The entire NATURE quivered.

The great ocean soon became possessed of a terrific velocity and crossed beyond the other shore to the extent of a Yojana (26 Kms.). Sri Rama then did not discharge that Brahmastra on the retreating ocean. 

Then, Sagara (the ocean god) himself rose from the middle of the ocean.  

पृथिवी वायुर् आकाशम् आपो ज्योतिः च राघवः |
स्वभावे सौम्य तिष्ठन्ति शाश्वतम् मार्गम् आश्रिताः || २-२२-२५

"O, beloved Rama! Earth, wind ether, water and light remain fixed in their own nature, resorting to their eternal path."

तत् स्वभावो मम अपि एष यद् अगाधो अहम् अप्लवः |
विकारस् तु भवेद् राध एतत् ते प्रवदामि अहम् || २-२२-२६

"Therefore, I am fathomless and my nature is that it is impossible of being swum across. It becomes unnatural if I am shallow. I am telling you the following device to cross me."

न कामान् न च लोभाद् वा न भयात् पार्थिव आत्मज |
रागान्नक्राकुलजलम् स्तम्भयेयम् कथंचन || २-२२-२७

"O, prince! Neither from desire nor ambition nor fear nor from affection, I am able to solidify my waters inhabited by alligators."

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Appealing to the Gods and Natural forces by human beings, before taking an extreme step might be accepted procedure even in the Ramayana period.

Is it part of duty of NATURAL forces to check an individual's endurance, capacity, etc, before conceding to the request?

Even in the case of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Godess Kali did not appear to him till he tried to chop off his head.