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?
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?