Signs, Signs (Everywhere A Sign)

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#1
Aug 13, 2014
24,896
8,156
113
#1
Topic: When is it okay to ask God for a sign?

In another thread we were talking about how sometimes God will give you a sign when you ask for it. Then again, sometimes God won't. So when is it okay to ask God for a sign?

In Matthew 16 Jesus called them foolish and adulterous when they asked Him for a sign to prove He was God. But then in Luke 7 John the Baptist was in prison and he sent some of his people to ask Jesus the very same thing. Jesus immediately went on a miracle spree, healing a lot of people, giving a lot of blind people their sight, all "in that same hour," then turns to John's men and tells them to go tell John what they just saw.

"But the Pharisees had already seen Jesus do miracles, and they were still asking for a sign." Well, John had seen the Spirit come down on Jesus and heard a voice from heaven.

There are other cases too. It's not asking God for a sign that He is God, but Judges 6 Gideon asked for a sign... and God gave him the sign he asked for... and Gideon said "Wait, let's just make real sure. God, this time I want the exact opposite of the sign you just gave me, and THEN I'll be sure it was really You." And God gave it to him!

NOTA BIEN: This is not a right-or-wrong answer thread. I'm going for a discussion here.

Discussion questions:
1. Have you ever asked God for a sign?
2. Did you get it?
3. Did God ever give you a message directly to you when you hadn't even asked for it?
4. When do you think it is okay, even needful, to ask God for a sign, and when do you think it is not okay?
 
Pipp

Pipp

Majestic Llamacorn
#2
Sep 17, 2013
5,536
2,702
113
Georgia
#2
Yes... I specifically asked God to either give me peace or trouble my heart about a certain situation that I was unsure about. He answered my prayer by troubling my heart day and night until I took care of the situation .


There have been other times when I asked and all I got back was "look around ... what more do you need to believe me?"
 
U

Ugly

Guest
#3
#3
I'm leaning away from the idea of getting a sign. It seems so easy to see a "sign" where we want them that it becomes something that is more often used to confirm OUR wants rather than God's.
Numerous times in my life I've sought out signs for things and every time I was mislead.
 
zeroturbulence

zeroturbulence

Senior Member
#4
Aug 2, 2009
24,579
4,268
113
#4
[video=youtube;RGWUZQ5xCyw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGWUZQ5xCyw[/video]
 
Dino246

Dino246

Senior Member
#5
Jun 30, 2015
24,681
13,368
113
#5
How about a time I didn't ask for a sign?

Twelve years ago my ex tried to end her life with a bottle of pills. She was comatose and was taken into intensive care. Her family was called as she was not expected to last long due to the significant internal damage... I remember seeing all the tubes connected to her body. Well, she didn't die that night, and the next day I was reading Psalms over her... the ones I sensed a nudge to read. As I read Psalm 41, verse 3 stood out to me:

"The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, You restore him to health"

I read it a few times, and prayed about it. I sensed that God was highlighting this verse to me as a direct promise about her (obviously, with the gender changed from the verse). Wanting to believe, but remembering what happened to Zechariah, I carefully did not ask for a sign of confirmation, but I prayed that if God wanted to confirm it to me, that was in His hands.

She didn't die that day either, and the next day, a pastor friend was just coming out of her room when I arrived at the hospital. He shared that he felt led to read some Psalms over her. He then said that he sensed the Lord highlighting one particular verse: Psalm 41:3. I just started laughing, knowing that was the confirmation from God that she would be healed. My in-laws thought I lost my mind at that point, but that's another story.

The doctors expected her to be in ICU for months from the liver damage. She was comatose for several days, but once she came out of the coma, she recovered quickly and was cleared medically in less than a month.
 
L

La_Vie_En_Rose

Guest
#6
#6
Lynx said:
Topic: When is it okay to ask God for a sign?

In another thread we were talking about how sometimes God will give you a sign when you ask for it. Then again, sometimes God won't. So when is it okay to ask God for a sign?

In Matthew 16 Jesus called them foolish and adulterous when they asked Him for a sign to prove He was God. But then in Luke 7 John the Baptist was in prison and he sent some of his people to ask Jesus the very same thing. Jesus immediately went on a miracle spree, healing a lot of people, giving a lot of blind people their sight, all "in that same hour," then turns to John's men and tells them to go tell John what they just saw.

"But the Pharisees had already seen Jesus do miracles, and they were still asking for a sign." Well, John had seen the Spirit come down on Jesus and heard a voice from heaven.

There are other cases too. It's not asking God for a sign that He is God, but Judges 6 Gideon asked for a sign... and God gave him the sign he asked for... and Gideon said "Wait, let's just make real sure. God, this time I want the exact opposite of the sign you just gave me, and THEN I'll be sure it was really You." And God gave it to him!

NOTA BIEN: This is not a right-or-wrong answer thread. I'm going for a discussion here.

Discussion questions:
1. Have you ever asked God for a sign?
2. Did you get it?
3. Did God ever give you a message directly to you when you hadn't even asked for it?
4. When do you think it is okay, even needful, to ask God for a sign, and when do you think it is not okay?
Click to expand...
This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but when did that ever stop me from posting? I am a grace believer, a dispensationalist. Dispensationalists do not believe signs are for this age of Grace since we have the completed canon of Scripture. We believe signs were necessary then, but unnecessary now.
 
A

AuntieAnt

Guest
#7
#7
I used to ask for signs all the time as a new Christian and God would always oblige me. Then again, I was in crippling fear and depression and He just showered me with mercy all over the place to get me to trust Him. :eek:

I don't need signs now of course, but very often God will give me a glaring confirmation about something I had recently prayed about and it just makes me smile. And I say, "You're so nice, God!" LOL ;) Because He doesn't have to do that, ya know? And He does anyway. I love Him! ❤
 
garet82

garet82

Senior Member
#8
Jan 20, 2011
679
85
28
#8
well i ask it sometime and the sign sometimes shows but sometime not.
 
T

toinena

Guest
#9
#9
I have asked for signs but then immediately I feel guilty for asking.
I have got signs when I haven't asked, but I might have misinterpreted them at times.
I don't think it is appropriate to ask for signs ever, but I think it is ok to ask for confirmation... It is very close to the same thing.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#10
Aug 13, 2014
24,896
8,156
113
#10
Oh yeah, I almost forgot... (Insert standard disclaimer here about posting this thread in Singles instead of BDF.) That disclaimer is used so often (frequently by me) that it has pretty much become boilerplate by now.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#11
Aug 13, 2014
24,896
8,156
113
#11
La_Vie_En_Rose said:
This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but when did that ever stop me from posting? I am a grace believer, a dispensationalist. Dispensationalists do not believe signs are for this age of Grace since we have the completed canon of Scripture. We believe signs were necessary then, but unnecessary now.
Click to expand...
That seems... unutterably sad.

How do y'all believe God communicates with His people then? Do you believe it is just wrong to ask for a sign? As in, if God gives you a sign without you asking for it, will you accept it? Or do you think God doesn't give anybody signs at all any more?
 
cinder

cinder

Senior Member
#12
Mar 26, 2014
4,328
2,361
113
#12
Lynx said:
Topic: When is it okay to ask God for a sign?


Discussion questions:
1. Have you ever asked God for a sign?
2. Did you get it?
3. Did God ever give you a message directly to you when you hadn't even asked for it?
4. When do you think it is okay, even needful, to ask God for a sign, and when do you think it is not okay?
Click to expand...
I'm big on asking God for direction, but when it comes to divine guidance I think mystical signs are one of the worst ways to go about it. Being guided by signs is fraught with obstacles like confirmation bias and constantly second guessing yourself and your interpretation of what you see and experience.

As far as direction goes, it's fine to ask for direction as long as it's truly because you aren't sure what the right and god pleasing thing to do in a situation (or major life decision is). But we need to be brutally honest with ourselves and not "seek direction" when really we're looking for permission to delay or avoid obedience. And you never should need to seek direction on whether to do something the Bible explicitly commands or avoid doing something it explicitly condemns.
 
melita916

melita916

Senior Member
#13
Aug 12, 2011
10,418
2,660
113
#13
I don't think I've ever asked God for a sign. I guess my prayer has always been, "Lord, let me know." for example:

some years ago, I really liked this guy from church. I thought he liked me back, but heck, I don't know how to read that stuff. so I asked God to let me know. shortly after, the guy texted me saying he needed to talk to someone. we met for coffee, and he told me he and this other girl were trying to have a relationship, but outside factors were making it difficult.

so I thought to myself, "well, Lord, that wasn't the answer I wanted, but ok then." lol
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#14
Aug 13, 2014
24,896
8,156
113
#14
melita916 said:
I don't think I've ever asked God for a sign. I guess my prayer has always been, "Lord, let me know." for example:

some years ago, I really liked this guy from church. I thought he liked me back, but heck, I don't know how to read that stuff. so I asked God to let me know. shortly after, the guy texted me saying he needed to talk to someone. we met for coffee, and he told me he and this other girl were trying to have a relationship, but outside factors were making it difficult.

so I thought to myself, "well, Lord, that wasn't the answer I wanted, but ok then." lol
Click to expand...
Yeah I had the same thing happen with a job. I was working at a factory but I was a temp employee. There were five openings for permanent, "real" employees, so I told God I really wanted one of those permanent positions, but if it wasn't what I should do would He please let me know? The very next day they laid off almost all the temps... including me.

Well, that answered THAT question. :-/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.