Do you often refuse to ask for help? Do you seek to do it on your own? Do you sometimes wish there would be a sign that would lift your spirits? Have you thought you should ask God for a sign but refused to do so? Did you refuse because you thought you were testing God?
Asking for help is very difficult for some of us. Asking God to give us a sign, show us the way, show us he is in control can be even more challenging. We can feel as though we are testing God, and we know we are not to test him. So, we don’t ask.
We are not alone. God told King Ahaz to ask for a sign. Not just any sign but a big sign. Ahaz refused because he did not want to put God to the test. It has been a longstanding understanding that we are not to test God. Thousands of years of belief and tradition have been passed down, demanding that we not test God.
So, what did God tell Ahaz to ask for a sign? Could it be that we humans misinterpret the meaning of testing God? I propose asking God for a sign is not testing him, especially when he says to do so. In the case of Ahaz, God used the prophet Isaiah to tell him what the sign would be. It is a sign that we continue to refer to even today, which we will discuss tomorrow.
I pray we all know we are not to test God. I pray we know we can ask God to provide us a sign in faith. I pray each one of us open our eyes to see the signs God has provided and continues to provide. Do not test God. Ask God to lead you. Open your eyes to see God’s signs.
Isaiah 7:10-12 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”
Marty Pressey 