If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank. ~ Woody Allen
“God, please give me a sign!!!!” “No, not THAT sign…. The other kind of sign!” “Why won’t God just give me a sign? That’s not too much to ask!” “I have been praying for a sign, but I am just not getting it!”
Ug! Aren’t we all like that to some extent? We are so determined that we are on the right path, and we are so determined to get what we “want”, that sometimes we forget that our “needs” are very different. In that respect, we are all very much like children who want pop before bedtime, junk food for supper, and a new toy every time we go to the store. We want what we want and we want it NOW!!!! And then, when we don’t get what we want, we start to pray for that very thing. And when we still don’t get it, then we start bargaining with God, asking for a “sign”. Usually, it goes something like this, “Please God, gimme a sign that I’m supposed to buy the new Mustang GT 5.0 with leather seats and in Red Candy Metallic.” And when we don’t get that affirmation (please, doesn’t God have a little more on His plate than to worry about what car you want to buy?), then we pray, “Okay God, here’s the deal. If I am supposed to buy that hot little car, then let me see at least one on my way to work this morning (and you drive by 15 car lots on the way to work, so you KNOW you are going to see one).” So, relatively speaking, we just want God to be our own personal Yes Man whom we can blame when things go wrong. And that, my friends, is a bunch of manure.
Now most of us have seen the movie “Bruce Almighty”, where Jim Carey’s character, Bruce, was continually asking for a “sign”. Yet God was continually giving him the most obvious signs imaginable, but Bruce still didn’t get it because he was so determined to do things his own way, he failed to recognize the important ways that God was already interceding in his life and the many things God was showing him every day. In the end, when Bruce finally does acknowledge God’s existence, asking God to “show up”, God does exactly that in a big way. And honestly, that is exactly what God does for each and every one of us, and it is a realistic example of how God works in the lives of people who truly pour out their hearts to Him in prayer. When we are stubborn in our prayer lives, God often show up in an attention-grabbing way and using drastic actions.
I must tell you that there are three very specific times in my life when I have truly prayed for a sign. And by truly praying, I am telling you that I was down on my knees, emotionally humbled, and desperately seeking direction. And when I have these interactions with God, I always remind Him that I am dense, and sometimes I need to be smacked upside the head with a two-by-four to get the whole picture. And that is exactly what He does.
The first time I asked God for a sign, I was a new mother. My daughter, Blakelee, was just three months old. Oh, how in love I was with her, and how miserable I was going to work every day and leaving her. Granted, I left her with her dad, but it was difficult for me; I felt like my heart was breaking because my family time was limited, and I only saw my husband on weekends. At that point, I was working in a factory, but I wanted so much more. However, as with most young families, a second income was crucial. I had been checking into starting a home business that would allow me to be home with my baby and my husband, but I was concerned about finances. I am a VERY cautious girl, and change doesn’t come easily for me. So I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and PRAYED…. And I still wasn’t getting it. So, one night as I was working, running an assembly machine, sobbing like a baby because I was so miserable, I prayed with all my might…. “God, please give me an unmistakable sign that starting a business is what You want for me to do for my family. Please be bold, because otherwise, I am just not going to get it!” The break time buzzer sounded right after that prayer, and as I walked away from my machine, Lightning immediately struck directly over the machine I had been running – I kid you not – and it was such a strong strike, that everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed to that area to make sure everything was okay. Needless to say, I started my business, and it has been very successful for us for almost sixteen years now. Yes, there have been highs and lows, but I have no doubt that this is where God wants me, and without Him, this business would not be successful. Now the other two stories I have to tell about specific signs are just as dramatic, but I will save those for another day.
The thing to remember in all of this is that when you are truly seeking for God’s answer, when you are truly searching for His will, you have to be willing to accept the answer He is giving you. Because, as Romans 11:33 (The Message translation) explains, “Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.” We are only human; we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but God does. And He truly wants to work for our benefit, because He CAN see the big picture. All we can do is truly seek Him, and let Him point us in the right direction, and He will give you your bolt of lightning…
Be enlightened!
Catch you on the flip side,
Ang
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