Signs from God

A sign for sale
on ebay

“Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs,” goes a lyric from that 1970 song---a favorite from my teenage years----by the Five Man Electrical Band. The song is a protest about society’s many demands for conformity: do this or don’t do that, and you’ll fit in. Church is often that way; in fact, the singer complains that he can’t do what the church requires, but still he wants to praise God the best way he knows how.

We speak of “signs from God,” and those kinds of signs are more inclusive. God choses strange people to whom to provide signs, like the cheat Jacob. In Genesis 28:20-22, Jacob has an amazing dream of the ladder going to heaven, and after he awakens and reorients himself, he prays a kind of quid pro quo prayer: he would serve God if he perceived God’s care in his life.

I love the stories of Gideon, too. When called of God to deliver the Israelites from their enemies, Gideon asks for a sign: that dew would form on a fleece of wood but not the surrounding floor. Then he asked for another sign, that the dew would form on the floor but not the fleece. Both times, God provided the requested signs (Judges 6:36-40).

Now you may argue that these are expressions of immature faith, and I would agree. But the point is, God does not disdain immature faith.

Moses comes to mind, too. When encountering the burning bush, the Lord gives him indicators of the divine power so that he won’t be fearful to accept God’s mission. Of course, Moses is reluctant anyway!

God doesn’t respond to just only when we’re far along the spiritual path. None of these people were. Also, think of the two fellows on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24). They had given in to their disappointment and sorrow. Those are exactly the folks to whom Jesus appeared.

We should not put ourselves on the same level as the biblical characters, who fit within God’s great purposes of scripture. On the other hand, these stories give us confidence about the kind of God we’re dealing with.

A divine sign? LOL
from http://www.thegodarticle.com/4/previous/5.html

I’ve told this story in other writings of mine, because I like it. A man struggled with faith and felt downcast. Finally he sought divine assurance. The man had never been able to find a four-leaf clover, so that’s the sign he asked from God. This time, the man found several. I don’t believe God “zapped” four-leaf clovers into existence just to help the man. I don’t think he meant that, either. But his request and his location that day converged in the mysterious workings of God, so that the man became strengthened in his faith.

God has given us many such indications of faithfulness and assurance. Some were like Gideon’s, if not so miraculous, and others were more quiet---and unrequested! I recall getting a piece of distressing mail, some business matters I needed to attend to for my ailing mother. At that moment, one of my best friends called to say hello. I also remember times when we were younger, and money was sometimes tight. But then unexpected cash came in, for instance a dividend check from the insurance company.

One good motive for pursuing a prayer life---even a rudimentary or haphazard prayer life open to growth---is to develop the sensitivity and awareness of the small indicators of God’s faithfulness that I describe here. They may be “do this, don’t do that” kinds of signs, as that song goes, but because they’re from God, they’re not exclusive and excluding; they’re beautiful and indicate that God loves you and wants to help and guide you.