Ask God To Give You A Signal

Isaiah 7:10
Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,
Isaiah 7:11
“Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights. ”

Isaiah 7:12
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test. ”

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

“Mamma give us a signal!” Cried out Julius Malema of South Africa during the funeral of Winnie Mandela. In that popular video available online. Julius was speaking to the late Winnie Mandela to give them a signal on how to treat her enemies who had attended her funeral. The Bible teaches against speaking to the dead. Malema wanted a signal from the late Winnie. Ask God for a signal!

This message today is a continuation of yesterday’s focus on Isaiah 7. King Ahaz is under a very serious threat together with his country. Syria and Northern Israel have combined forces to attack Ahaz. God sends Isaiah and his son to go and speak to Ahaz, Isaiah 7:3. God tells Ahaz not to fear at all and give no room to fear, instead, Ahaz and his people should be calm, Isaiah 7:4. Oh, for the grace to be calm in times of crisis. Dear God keep me calm in times of crisis, Amen. God assures Ahaz that all the evil plans of Syria and Northern Israel will not succeed, they will plan, but they will not succeed Isaiah 7:7. Then God challenges Ahaz that he should stand firm in his faith or else he will never stand anywhere at all, Isaiah 7:9.

Ahaz needs faith in God if he is to succeed in the coming war. He needs no more chariots, not more soldiers, not military experts. No, he needs a firm faith in God. Unwavering faith in God. Even if Ahaz formed a military coalition with Egypt, Babylon, and others, he will not win unless his faith in God is firm. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. He needs faith, we need faith! Without faith it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6. We may have everything but without faith, we have lost it. Money without faith is like a number multiplied by zero. Skill without faith, Strategy without faith, efforts without faith, beauty without faith, education without faith, good grades without faith, a great business idea without faith, the best job in the world without faith, all these are a waste. All hard-working without faith is a waste. Ahaz was told to have faith or else fail completely in everything in life, Isaiah 7:9.

Therefore, in order to build the faith of Ahaz, God proposes that like Gideon, Ahaz should ask for a sign. When God chose Gideon to undertake a serious military offensive, Gideon asked God for a sign, Judges 6:17. Gideon asked God two different times to do the impossible so that he can be sure God will be with him. Moses was given a sign of his rod becoming a snake, Exodus 4:3-4, and his hand becoming leprous and well, Exodus 4:6-7. The sign is a signal from God to His servant that I am with you carry on, please. Since Ahaz was so afraid and lacking faith even after Isaiah spoke to him, God challenged Ahaz to ask for a sign. God was willing to give a personalized signal that He is with Ahaz. Ask God to give you a signal!

God tells Ahaz to ask for any extreme sign that will give him the greatest assurance that God will be with him. God tells Ahaz, ask for anything anywhere, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights, ask and affirm your faith in God through this signal. Ask God to give you a signal!

When you get a clear signal from God, you will be calm. When you get a signal from God, you will not be afraid. When you get a clear signal from God, you will not panic even as things get worse. A signal is a personalized assurance from God that He’s got your back. Ask God to give you a signal!

Ahaz refused to ask God for a signal. He felt like it would be irreverence to ask God for a sign. He felt like it would be a lack of faith yet he didn’t have faith and the signal was to create that faith. Ahaz misunderstood God. Ahaz had a poor perception of reverence. He feared God so much that he couldn’t relate to God. This is not what God wills for us. Aren’t we sometimes too reverend to enjoy worship? Aren’t we sometimes too been on keeping the Sabbath that it becomes a pain in the flesh? Aren’t we sometimes too keen on eating and dressing and other things that we live a boring frustrating life that is not the will of God? Ahaz was too keen to be reverent before God that he refused to listen to God.

God gets angry at Ahaz’s silly piousness, Isaiah 7:13. Ahaz’s fake religiosity offends God. This guy is too committed to God to even obey God! What foolishness is this? That you are so stuck to your interpretation of the Bible God’s word, that if God came to clarify anything, you will tell God to back off He is wrong! Aren’t we so zealous to punish wrongdoing that we would reject God’s direct voice to forgive a person? Are there sins that if a leader committed, you would not forgive even if God Himself said so? Is there an offense you would not forgive your fiancee or spouse, even if God said so? Is there a red line that if your workers crossed, they are fired, even if God said forgive them?

God eventually tells Ahaz, that I will still a sign, even if you don’t ask for it, Isaiah 7:14. A sign that will clearly be evidence that I am with you to the end. A sign that only God can give. Then at this point, the future prophecy and promise of the coming of Jesus are given. A virgin will get pregnant and will give birth to a son. Nobody else can do so. But since Ahaz was too “holy” to ask for the sign, God will give it to future generations. God will give a sign. When God gives a sign, you can’t mistake it as a natural occurrence or coincidence, it is God’s clear sign. Ask God to give you a signal!

God can give you a sign even without you asking for it. He promised Ahaz and Israelites a sign even when they didn’t want one. The red flags in a relationship you are too swallowed in, are signs from a gracious God. You didn’t ask Him for signs to carry on or stop the relationship, but in His grace He let you see red flags. Signs of being conned in a deal become clearer, yet you didn’t pray for guidance as you embarked on this deal. Watch out for signs you didn’t ask for but have come by grace. If in doubt, ask God for another sign. Ask God to give you a signal!

During premarital counseling, I challenge couples who come to me, to ask God for a clear signal that this is the one I should marry or get married to. The couples if you are reading this, testify on the comments section of this article at reikesis.com. God gave me a sign to break up and it happened. God gave me a sign for a marriage partner and I married. God gave me a sign to study pastoral work and I did. God gave me a sign to accept ordination to pastoral work and I accepted. As I go through life, when I am in doubt, I ask God for a sign. When I am afraid, I ask God for a sign. When I am about to make a life-changing decision, I ask God for a sign. That is my way of life. Ask God to give you a signal!

In one of the signs I asked from God, I asked for the exact time, place, and words of break up and the other person did exactly that, as I had asked God. In another sign I asked from God, I traveled on short notice a great distance that needed pre-arranged flight and public transport, yet under impossible circumstances, I made it for my ordination interview. I even traveled first class on a flight and I am yet to know exactly who paid for it and booked it early, but I praise God. You too can testify what sign God has given you. I testify that God still gives clear signs that give us the confidence to serve Him even under difficult circumstances. Ask God to give you a signal!

Dear God, I pray for a signal in all that I do, so that I will be calm in a crisis, confident in calamity, and faithful through the tribulation. Save me from foolish false reverence that makes it rigid and difficult to relate with You. I still pray for Your sign even when I am too foolish like Ahaz to ask for a sign. Give me a sign in my academic work, give me a sign in my health, give me a sign in my spiritual life, give me a sign in my fiancees, business and employment, yes LORD, give me a sign in my relationships, in Jesus’ name, Amen!