Signs

Asking for a sign from God…. It is something I have noticed is very controversial among Christians in today’s world. So, here is my take.

Asking God for a sign is only wrong if it is to put him to the test… Demanding that God jump through hoops. Treating him like a genie, or to showcase him as being real, “God if you are real, show me this as a sign….”

The type of signs that are good to ask for are signs of guidance. These are signs that go hand in hand with what God is already saying to you. Essentially it is confirmation for what God wants you to do. This is the type of sign that is okay to ask.

Look at the story of Ahaz, King of Judah, in Isaiah 7. God told him to ask for a sign… Yet, though Ahaz appeared to be righteous by refusing, he only refused because he really did not want confirmation on what God was saying.

Have you ever done that?

I’ll tell you a recent occurrence where I have done this. It was relational. It was laid on my heart that this individual I was in contact with was not healthy for me and I needed to cut contact. It was not healthy because it led me into sin.

I wanted confirmation though, so I asked God. I said, “Lord, if this person truly is not meant to be in my life like you are  laying it on my heart, show me a sign… Show me a swallow tail butterfly.” Sure enough, what did I see the next morning?

I hated seeing that sign though, if I am being honest. Because I was hoping what was laid on my heart was simply just me overthinking. But it was not. So I did something stupid, I ignored God.

Guess what happened? I backslide a lot. Stayed more away from God. I sinned even more too. And I ended up really hurt in the end.

Often times, we use some sort of excuse. “Oh, I do not want to bother God,” “I am just overthinking,” or like Ahaz we can be like, “I am not going to put the Lord my God to the test.” But really, we should not hesitate.

We should not hesitate to bring our requests to God. Sometimes we need confirmation. We need to hear his answers. But when we do, we need to respond to them, to listen to them, no matter how hard it will be. No matter how difficult. Because, trust me, it will be far better for you than to ignore God and the help he offers.

So next time, when something is laid on your heart, do not hesitate to ask for a sign. For confirmation. And listen to it!!