We Don't Need to Seek Signs

People are always looking for a sign.

As Christians, sometimes I think we are preconditioned to seek out signs for God's direction.  We interpret a scenario or a situation to be a sign from God.  We ask God to show us a sign. We even lay out our signs to God, asking him to make something happen if he wants us to go in a certain direction.

We use all sorts of euphemisms about it too.  We're laying out our fleece or seeking our shadow to turn back.  We're quick to point to the signs God gave Gideon and Hezekiah and Abraham.  Yet, we don't often remember that Jesus told the people he would give no sign except for the sign of Jonah or the sign God gave Zechariah, John the Baptist's father.

Zechariah, a priest, was serving in the temple when an angel spoke to him.  God had not spoken in 400 years, and he chose Zechariah to receive a personal message while he was serving in the temple near the Holy of Holies.  Instead of believing the account, he asked for proof.  As a result, God, through the angel, gave him the sign of silence.  He would not speak until the prophecy came to pass.

You can find this account in Luke 1.

You see, sometimes, God wants us to trust him and his word.  We don't always need to seek a sign when we're praying and studying scripture and conversing with God.  Sometimes, we just need to act on what he's telling us to do.

Often, when people seek me for advice, I let them tell their story.  At the end, I will say something like this: "I think you know the answer.  You just don't like it."  What I mean by that is that scripture and God's word are pretty clear.  We often find it tough to do, but we frequently know the answer he has for us.  We don't need a sign.  We need to be obedient.

That's what Zechariah learned.  After being silent for the duration of his wife's pregnancy, at the naming of his son and the fulfillment of prophecy, he could speak again.  He learned to be obedient in his response to God and not seek signs.

What is God telling you that you don't want to hear?  How do you need to respond?

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