The Sign is Already There - Day 133 Month 5-13 Week 19-7
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
Deuteronomy 19,20, Psalm 107, John 6:15-40
The Sign Is Already There
“Give us a sign, so that we may see and believe You.”
I suppose we are always looking for signs. Life would be so easy if God would just give us a sign to give us direction. When we have an important decision to make, if God would just hold up a sign that says “Do Not Enter,” we’d make the right decision and be sent on our merry way. I remember a sermon where the preacher gave a suggestion of what he has done in the past to get an important answer from God. He got away from every distraction, and on his own. Then he prayerfully spent time reading and praying and just listening to God. He made a list in two columns. The column on one side was in favour and the column on the other side was against. Over a period of time, one of the columns became longer, one became shorter and the longest column was the answer. I would say, this is a very God centred way to make the decision. I’ve also heard people say that they had a very important decision to make and they didn’t know the right answer. In their regular reading and praying, they opened up the bible and right in the section they were reading that day was the clear answer. That seems also to be a very God centred way to get the answer. Sometimes answers come easy, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes we forget to include God.
I’ve made important decisions in the spirit of the moment without asking for God’s direction. Syl and I did that when we bought the house we live in. What it meant was that it would not be the relaxing bungalow we had been planning on. It’s a 4 level side split that needs a lot of work. If we had prayerfully considered it, we likely would have chosen a different home.
The thing about asking for direction from God on major decisions is to find what falls most in line with what He’s asked us to do. Even making a wrong decision will not change God’s big plan or His plan for us specifically. He’s always making adjustments for the decisions we make and that’s ok because he’s given us free will. Making a decision that is considered prayerfully is the best way to use your free will because you have included Him in the decision and have pursued His best direction. It’s really no different from asking for wise counsel except His council is perfect.
The people in John were asking for a sign the day after Jesus fed 5000 men (probably 10-15,000 people when you included women and children) with only 5 small barley loaves and 2 fish! I’m pretty sure that was a sign. In fact throughout Jesus' three years of ministry, He showed many signs including healing. Many believed, but many didn’t. The people keep pushing Him by saying that their fathers had manna from heaven in the wilderness.
Jesus takes their example of manna to move the conversation into a faith discussion. He talks about the real bread from heaven, that is Him, which “gives life to the world.” He says it directly; “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” The true bread of heaven is life and He expands on it by saying, “the will of my father (God the father) (is) that everyone who beholds the Son (Jesus) and believes in Him will have eternal life…”
God cares about our everyday needs and about our decisions, but much more than that God wants us to believe (have faith) in Jesus and with that faith, there is eternal life in His kingdom.
Have a great day.
Steve
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