As we walk this journey in life, with its difficulties, its ups and downs, its trials and tribulations, we sometimes need a sign from God. We want God to let us know He is still there. We know He is there; however, our faith at the time, because of our humanity, just needs a ray of hope. The birth of Christ was a sign from God.
As we look back in perfect knowledge seeing what God has already done, the foretelling of Christ was a sign from God. Our celebration of His birth serves every year as an encouraging time in our walk with the Lord.
Many times in our walk with God, we feel uneasy about asking God for a sign. We want God to think we are these super Christians who can walk with Him without showing our humanity. Sometimes we want a sign from God but we do not want God to think we are questioning Him.
The message today’s looks back at the foretelling of the coming of Christ and how it was a sign from God to Ahaz, the king of Judah. Ahaz was concerned about his enemies and God wanted him to know that He had a Word for his situation.
Many of us, especially leaders, worry about things, situations and people we shouldn’t be worried about. For Ahaz, he worried about two people Rezin, the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah because they were waging war against Jerusalem and wanted to conquer it. Because of this God wanted to offer Ahaz some encouragement. God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to say:
1. Take care and be calm
2. Have no fear
3. Do not be fainthearted.
As you look forward to God moving in your life, I encourage each of you to take these words from God through Isaiah. In addition to these words, the Lord told Ahaz to ask for a sign from the Lord your God. God wanted to confirm in Ahaz his assurance that he should take care, have no fear and not be fainthearted. With this in mind God encouraged Ahaz to ask for a big sign. God said make it as deep as Sheol (hell) and high as heaven (Isaiah 7:11). Imagine right now, God is saying to us concerning our situations, “ask for sign”.
Many of us don’t have that kind of faith. For Ahaz, God said he would give him a sign anyway. The sign that God gave Ahaz was the foretelling of the coming of Christ. God was specific to Ahaz and us in His words so that when we look at what He says and then look at what he did it, we will know it was God.
Jesus was a sign from the Lord that told Ahaz and tells us that:
1. Your enemy shall not stand
2. Whatever God says shall come to pass
3. God is with us.
As we walk with the Lord, we should expect:
1. God to show up in difficult times.
2. God to show up in unusual ways.
3. God to work through unusual people.
I am asking God to give us a sign. Lord, give us a sign that is so big: there is no doubt no doubt that it is You. Thank you Lord in advance for what you are going to do. In Jesus name. Amen!
