Many people today are suckers for signs. They look to the sky, their palms, even to other people for signs that would tell them whether a certain decision is provident or not.
And reality is that it's not only non-believers who chase after signs and wonders. Even Christians are in constant pursuit of them today. That's not to say that signs and wonders are totally wrong because God did indeed moves and communicates various times through signs and wonders.
In John 4:48, however, Jesus gave a compelling rhetoric to a group of "believers" who followed Jesus because of the signs and wonders that they saw. He said, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."
Signs and wonders are a beautiful means of God to communicate to His people, but too often nowadays they have become too much of a big deal. In waiting for God's will for our lives, many believers have been left more confused because they are looking for too many signs and wonders.
Let's look into this scenario: Imagine that you have been waiting for a year for a specific call from God to go abroad for missions, but your visa request has already been denied multiple times. Next thing you ask God for is a sign that He is really calling you. Are we right to ask for signs? It depends really, but here are some pointers to remember when asking God for signs.
1. Signs and wonders are not the only way God speaks.
There are various ways that God speaks to people, and signs and wonders are not the only way. More often that not, the most common way God speaks is through the Bible and through prayer.
Signs, prophetic words, interpretations and gift of knowledge are great, but often many Christians overemphasize the manifestations, ignoring the greatest manifestation of God which is His written Word.
2. Seek sensitivity to the Spirit, not to signs.
The call to be sensitive to God's call is not mysticism, but mission. Some will argue that even Gideon himself asked God for a sign after being called to lead Israel against the Midianites, but note how Gideon did it. He declared, "Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece."
He may have been asking for a sign, but it doesn't mean that God wasn't annoyed by it. Gideon himself knew that he was wringing the arm of God. There can be a tendency sometimes to wring the arm of God for signs and wonders when he has already clearly spoken.
Often, many believers ignore the signs of patience, devotions and advice of elder Christians in their search for pillars of fire and four-leaf clovers. God speaks, but He doesn't want us to focus on the means by which He speaks, but to focus on Him who speaks.
God isn't calling for signs and wonders. He is calling for sensitivity in the context of a relationship with Him.
