Greetings and salutations
One of the more intriguing texts from the Hebrew Testament is the promise to King Ahaz that God would send a sign of God’s provision in the person of the Messiah. For years, I was challenged by the lack of faith displayed be Ahaz in the face of God’s continued provision. What if we combined today’s nougat with yesterday’s promises?
Here’s our Holy Nougat™ for today
“Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead. ” … All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:11, 14 NLT
For Ahaz, it was believing in God and seeking a sign; for us, it’s submitting and trusting God in the floods, rivers and furnaces of life, especially when the enemy is raging. Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign when encouraged to seek same by the prophet. We refuse to consider that God may actually be working things in our favour, especially if the answers aren’t aligned to our expectations. Sometimes, it’s a leap of faith. Or it may be our time to wait upon the Lord. How easy is it to believe when flames are scorching those who are assigned to throw us in the furnace? What is faith like in the face of torrential rivers? How do we articulate our beliefs when surround by high tide?
Sometimes, the Lord really wants us to live boldly. Ask for a sign. Declare our faith regardless … believe that God will do as promised.
How do we respond?
In Christ
