A sign outside a church in Wisconsin reads, "You aren't too bad to come in and you aren't good enough to stay out."
There was a woman who had worked hard all her life as a teacher, but lately she had been feeling a call from God to go into the mission field. After much prayer she asked for a sign - but not just any sign. Her request was very specific because she did not want there to be any doubt. So she asked God that if He wanted her in missions, that Sunday morning at worship the old hymn, Peace Like a River, would be played at the normally contemporary service. She waited all through the service and at the very end the recessional hymn was indeed, Peace Like a River.
"...this salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to His will." Hebrews 2:3-4
I cannot tell you how many times parishioners of mine have asked me about some decision they were about to make in their lives and whether or not it was alright to ask God for a sign. Somewhere our culture has picked up the idea that asking for a sign is a demonstration of a lack of faith. Or they have been taught that asking for signs is forbidden by God. At the same time, however, asking for signs can be done rather flippantly without regard to serious prayer and meditation.
So - when, what, how and where is it appropriate to ask for signs from God? Check out some of these Scriptures and let me know what you think! You can even share your personal stories if you would like. Enjoy
Genesis 9:8-17
Judges 6:36-40
john 2:1-11
Mark 16:14-20
sneak peek for next week - Unanswered Prayer
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I've been curious about seeing this topic since you "sneak peeked" it last week. Like you mentioned, it seems like often times asking for a sign is considered a no-no.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to bring up for discussion something I think is somewhat related: the practice of opening the Bible at random. I can remember once in high school that I was really worrying about something, and I asked God to guide me to a page in the Bible that might help. I opened to a random page, and it ended up being the intro page for the book of Habakkuk. I was a bit confused at first, but then I noticed the book's subtitle: "Learning to trust in God." It was exactly what I needed to do at that moment.
After that I tried the same tactic a few other times when I felt like I needed guidance, but the pages I turned to didn't have as much meaning for me. I have to wonder if that first time was just a coincidence, or if I could have stretched and found meaning in any passage, even if it wasn't there (like searching for symbolism in a novel, when it may or may not be intended). And I remember someone telling me years later that opening the Bible at random is a bad practice to get into, that it's not the right way to find answers. Any thoughts?
As for asking for signs, it can be confusing to tell the difference between asking for signs and "not (putting) the Lord your God to the test." I guess it's OK to ask for signs as guidance for big decisions in your life, but not to ask for signs to prove God's existence or love.
By the way, for anyone who may not have a Bible handy, here are this week's scriptures on Biblegateway.com:
Genesis 9: 8-17
Judges 6: 36-40
John 2: 1-11
Mark 16: 14-20
I believe that the signs from God are through my mind, heart and prayers. Before I began "Women of the Bible", I had the thought popping into my head, night after night. So I heard what I understood to be my calling. What a blessing the women have been! WIth God's help. we decide on the woman. Research her life, write the script, learn the words, and for a few moments each time, I get to be the life of the chosen woman. My call has been a great blesssing for me and for those who hear.
ReplyDeleteWas the recurring thought a sign? I think so.
Are coincidences sometimes "signs"? We're told there are no "coincidences" - so are they perhaps signs? Or maybe in my mind I want to make them a sign because it could lead to something I've been searching for.....?
ReplyDeleteThanks to all again who are reading and responding to our study. In Scripture there seems to be only one "dividing line" you might say for asking for signs from God. God appears to take great delight in providing signs for those people who are trying to make decisions that stay within God's will. Whether it is Moses, Abraham, Gideon or YOU, asking for a sign from God in order to be certain of God's will is "permissible" and even encouraged. The only situation where there seems to be some question is when believers ask God for signs that He truly exists. This becomes a question of faith vs. doubt as we addressed last week. However, there is not a one-to-one correlation here either as there are accounts of young believers having their faith tested, asking for such a sign of God's presence and sometimes receiving such a sign.
ReplyDeleteAs a pastoral answer what I usually advise people to do is the following: look for signs first within Scripture itself to answer your questions, then approach God in prayer to refine or verify what you discovered with a specific sign.
I further suggest that the sign you ask for be general enough that it will not be overlooked, but specific enough that you will not not see it everywhere as a part of daily living.
The response on randomly seeking a message in the Bible is a topic I will address at a later date. As far as "coincidences" go, I believe that many of them are actually "God-incidences". And yes a recurring thought, dream, vision - there are certainly Biblical examples that God speaks to us in these ways as well - in fact - another topic that you will see later in this study.
Thank you all once again and many blessings to you.