God's Sign to Hezekiah
I believe the Bible is clear that God uses signs to lead His people and to encourage us in the faith. However, we do need to understand how signs are intended, so we do not try to tempt God by asking for signs when we should not or by asking in the wrong way. Let's use God's sign to Hezekiah as a example from which to learn. (Isaiah 38:7,8) I pray this will encourage us all to trust the Lord more and more.
A sign is a miracle that God works to lead His people in the right way. God knows that we, as humans, have a weakness when it comes to knowing and doing His will, when it is not something that is directly stated in the Bible. Hezekiah had prayed for God to save Jerusalem from destruction by the King of Assyria, and God heard his prayer. God sent Isaiah to tell him that The King of Assyria would not enter Jerusalem. Also, Isaiah announced the sign God would give to bolster Hezekiah's faith. God would make the shadow of the sun go backwards ten steps. God did that immediately, so they could both see that. Now, that is a miracle! I do not know if God turned back the rotation of the earth, or if He simply manipulated the shadow, but no one else could have caused that to happen. Therefore, Hezekiah could trust the Lord with a high degree of confidence after seeing this sign, and his heart could be at peace.
Therefore, the best signs are the ones God designs and gives to us without us asking. If we feel the need to ask for a sign, we must ask for a definite miracle, like Gideon's fleece. We must do it with a humble heart, not to test God, but to assure us we are hearing from God well. Then, we operate without signs the rest of the time, because we should not need signs to trust the Lord, except in extreme circumstances. That is why Jesus got upset with people who had to have signs to follow the Lord. Then, it is a symptom of a lack of faith. That is the worst thing we can have. Faith is trusting the Lord, even when things don't make sense. It is when we simply take God at His Word. That is what we want to do the greatest majority of the time.
#NHBaptistdotorg
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 40-43.
A sign is a miracle that God works to lead His people in the right way. God knows that we, as humans, have a weakness when it comes to knowing and doing His will, when it is not something that is directly stated in the Bible. Hezekiah had prayed for God to save Jerusalem from destruction by the King of Assyria, and God heard his prayer. God sent Isaiah to tell him that The King of Assyria would not enter Jerusalem. Also, Isaiah announced the sign God would give to bolster Hezekiah's faith. God would make the shadow of the sun go backwards ten steps. God did that immediately, so they could both see that. Now, that is a miracle! I do not know if God turned back the rotation of the earth, or if He simply manipulated the shadow, but no one else could have caused that to happen. Therefore, Hezekiah could trust the Lord with a high degree of confidence after seeing this sign, and his heart could be at peace.
Therefore, the best signs are the ones God designs and gives to us without us asking. If we feel the need to ask for a sign, we must ask for a definite miracle, like Gideon's fleece. We must do it with a humble heart, not to test God, but to assure us we are hearing from God well. Then, we operate without signs the rest of the time, because we should not need signs to trust the Lord, except in extreme circumstances. That is why Jesus got upset with people who had to have signs to follow the Lord. Then, it is a symptom of a lack of faith. That is the worst thing we can have. Faith is trusting the Lord, even when things don't make sense. It is when we simply take God at His Word. That is what we want to do the greatest majority of the time.
#NHBaptistdotorg
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 40-43.