The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. — Matthew 16:1
Not long ago, I was watching a show on television where the actor was facing challenging circumstances. It seemed that every way he turned, there was another difficulty or challenge. As the plot continued, he started to ask questions. Then, he stopped what he was doing, looked up toward the sky, and asked for a sign from God.
I have often heard others in similar situations where they are going through things in life, and they ask God for a sign. They want God to intervene physically in their circumstance to show them the way to go. For example, they would love nothing more than for God to interact in their lives in such a way that it would leave absolutely no doubt that the action came from God.
There are certainly times in life when God will move in just that way. He may take action where it leaves no doubt that only God could have done what was done. But what happens when He doesn’t? What happens when we want God to do something spectacular as a sign for us, but He chooses not to?
It certainly doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care or isn’t interested. As Jesus was interacting with the Pharisees and Sadducees here, they asked for a sign. He told them they were able to discern the weather by looking at the sky. It was a challenge that some things don’t take a supernatural action to tell us it is what God wants.
There are many times we can discern God’s will simply by reading His words and meditating on it in our hearts. Put the situation and circumstance you are concerned about through the test of God’s word. Does it pass the test? If not, chances are you don’t need a supernatural sign. You just need to listen and trust in God’s word.
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