God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

If you have been a Christian for some time and you read the Word of God often -hopefully daily- then you know there are times when you still may be unsure about how to proceed in an area of your life. You would like direction from God- a sign- is this too much to ask, you might say?  Not according to the Bible.  There are people in the Bible who also have asked for signs from the Lord and received them.

First of all, I would suggest going to the Bible again, repent of any sin that you may have committed- this opens up a way to the Lord’s ear.

“We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to listen to those who worship Him and do His will.” (John 9:31 NLT)

After you are sincerely repentant of the wrongs in your life- and we all do wrong, it’s a part of being human- then sit down with the Bible in your lap and ask to be shown a verse or a chapter in the Bible that will answer your question.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” (2 Timothy 3: 16-17)

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverb 3:5-6)

If after several attempts to understand the Lord’s will for that particular situation, you still feel lost and unsure, then go ahead and ask for a sign if you so desire. A man in the Bible did this, his name was Gideon.

“Then Gideon said to God, if you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put some wool on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised. And it happened just that way…then Gideon said to God, “please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” So that night God did as Gideon asked.”  (Judges 6:36-39 NLV)

After I read that verse for the first time- I laughed.  I too have asked for signs and I too have asked to be sure that God meant what He said to me.  Let me give you an example…

One of the signs I asked for was whether or not I should include the word “Catholic” in the title of the book I wrote.  I was nearing the end of the editing process and I was reading my Bible in bed one night.  I suddenly had a thought to change the title from “In A Nutshell, Old Wisdom You Never Knew” to “In A Nutshell, Old Wisdom This Catholic Never Knew.” I shouted down the hall  where my youngest daughter was reading in bed, and said “I’m thinking of putting the word “Catholic” in the title of my book, what do you think?”  My lovely, all supportive daughter said to me “Mom, Catholics won’t read your book!”  I said, “but they should read it, because the Church doesn’t teach all of the wonderful truths about the Lord.” I then told her that I was going to ask for a sign.

I closed my Bible and said, “Lord, if you would like me to put the word “Catholic” in my book title, have me open to the verse that states:

 “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.(Matt 15:8-9)-I asked for this verse because this is how I felt about myself, before I started reading Scripture.

I opened the Bible randomly, with closed eyes and let my finger fall upon a verse- then I opened my eyes.  MY FINGER LANDED ON THAT EXACT VERSE!  I had my sign from the Lord and I had no doubt what to title my book!

This wasn’t the first sign that I have received a sign.  Somehow God thinks I need much encouragement because I have been lucky enough to encounter a handful of straight forward signs.  So if you truly want to know the heart of God on an issue,  ask for a sign with all of your heart and expect an answer.  Remember, it may not be the answer that you want, but it will be an answer that will steer your life in the right direction.

Thank God Gideon was brave enough to ask for a sign. He set the example for all of us who truly want to do the Lord’s will, but  need some assurance at times!

God’s Promise:

“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or highest heights. (Isaiah 7:11 NIV)

Music For Your Soul:

“I have This Hope” by Tenth Ave North.