Asking for a Sign
Is it wrong to ask God for a sign to reveal His will for our lives or is this considered putting Him to a test?
Question: Is it wrong to ask God for a sign to reveal His will for our lives or is this considered putting Him to a test?
Answer: When people asked Christ for a sign, He refused to give one, but said the only definitive proof of His deity would be His resurrection. The revelation of God’s will is found in His word. Searching the scriptures and praying for discernment to rightly apply Biblical truth are always the best and safest means for discovering His will. When relying on signs, you must remember Satan masquerades as an angel of light seeking to deceive and devour. People sometimes read certain circumstances or situations as being a sign or message to justify doing what they want; then claim God led them to the decision when in reality, that may not be true.
For example: Someone may be unhappy in their marriage and looking for a sign as to whether they should leave their spouse. Instead of seeking the Lord’s will through a study of scripture, they will seek a sign from God to see if it is okay to do what they want to do. I’ve heard people claim their budding relationship with a co-worker must be a sign from God to leave their wife/husband and pursue a relationship that makes them happy. They argue it must be from God, because the new relationship makes them happy and He wants them to be happy. Truth is, the Lord’s will, as revealed in His word, is for them to be obedient and to develop the joy of marriage with the one to whom they made their vows in God’s presence to love and cherish until death.
There are times when God’s word does not specifically address a particular question, such as “Where would the Lord want our church to purchase land?” Therefore, we prayed for several months asking the Lord to guide our decision. After considering 30-40 locations, the property where we are now located was a backup contract. When the county would not grant a local lumber company a permit to build at this location, we had the opportunity to purchase the property for half the cost per acre of land around us. It was a good value, in an excellent location and available to us. Having prayed for the Lord to guide our decision, each of these factors seemed to be in keeping with principles of stewardship as revealed in His word, so we purchased it.
Follow-up question: Didn’t Gideon put out the fleece when seeking a sign from God? When asking about accepting a job that requires your family to move, or marrying a particular person, or knowing if the timing is right for you to share your faith with someone, or deciding on a career path for college, can we not ask for a “fleece” type sign? Would it have been wrong to lay a cloak in the middle of the proposed property and ask God to make it wet and the ground around it dry to determine whether the church should purchase it? To do this would make life a lot easier.
Answer: You can’t get off that easy. If you re-read the account of Gideon in the book of Judges, you will discover he knew the will of God, he just didn’t want to obey it. His experiment with the fleece is a testimony to God’s sovereignty, not a practice for us to adopt. The Scripture warns against putting the Lord to a test in Deuteronomy and Christ repeats the teaching in Matthew 4:7 when He was being tempted in the wilderness. There is a difference between praying for wisdom and discernment while seeking the will of God and putting Him a test. Gideon led men into battle and was victorious because it was God’s will, but his refusal to always obey sadly led his family away from the Lord in the latter years of his life. Obedience is always better than foolish experiments.
1) First, always obey the moral will of God as revealed in Scripture. If Scripture prohibits the action in question, you can know for sure it is not God’s will for you to do it. If God’s word commands you to do something, then it is obviously His will for you to do it. When God’s word says you are to be an active participant in the local church (Hebrews 10:25), any decision that prohibits you from fulfilling that command is against God's revealed will. Obedience to His word will keep you in the center of His will. If His word does not address your question by command or in principle, then you have the freedom to do whatever does not violate your Christian witness (Romans 14:2-6). The Lord routinely works through your decisions to accomplish His sovereign purposes (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 2:13).
2) Second, good decision making requires you to exercise biblical wisdom. Such wisdom comes from a diligent study of God's Word, coupled with God's generous provision for discernment. James encourages those who lack wisdom to "ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). To make wise decisions, you must gather necessary information, consider all the options carefully, seek godly counsel, and choose the best option (Proverbs 2:1-11).
This process assumes you are committed to Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. Otherwise you won't be able to make biblical decisions, as sin will blind your ability to understand and apply God's Word.