Signs

Gideon said to God, "If this is right, if you are using me to save Israel as you've said, then look: I'm placing a piece of wool on the threshing floor. If dew is on the fleece only, but the floor is dry, then I will know that you will use me to save Israel, as you said." -Judges 6:36-37 (NIV)

In today's assigned reading, Gideon is promised that God is with him and that God will save Israel from Midian. Gideon has trouble believing this promise because of the way that Midian has overpowered Israel for seven straight years. So Gideon asks for a sign to confirm that what he has heard God say is true. He places a fleece on the ground and asks that the following morning, the fleece be wet with dew while the rest of the ground dry. God honors his request. Then Gideon asks for another sign: this time he asks that the ground be wet with dew but the fleece dry. Again, God honors the request.

Hardly a day and surely not a week goes by that someone doesn't approach me seeking evidence of God's provision and presence. They feel lost. They feel as if they're running on fumes. They feel distant from God. They want spiritual renewal but they suffer from spiritual exhaustion. They are fighting demons and enemies that are large and loud. They want a sign. But they're afraid to ask for it.

They're afraid because they remember Jesus quoting scripture to the devil, "Do not put the Lord God to the test." They are afraid because of what it would do to their faith if they asked God for a sign and didn't get one.

I don't make it a habit to ask God for signs. Usually, I'm able to discern God's presence and provision in most any circumstance. But I take great comfort in knowing that whenever I do feel lost, on fumes, or distant from God, when like Gideon I find myself in a difficult situation, like Gideon I can ask God for a sign. If it wasn't appropriate to ask for a sign every now and then, would God have honored Gideon's request?

Some of you reading this devotional today may be at a place where you desperately need a sign. If so, I pray that God gives you the sign you seek. But maybe what you need is not a sign of God's provision and presence but just to be able to see the signs that are already there. May God give you the grace to see today.


Tomorrow's readings: Judges 8, Psalm 42, 1 Corinthians 15