Signs and Wonders

As a Christian when you hear the term "signs and wonders," what comes to mind?  I think of things like Jesus healing the paralytic, cleansing lepers, casting out demons and raising the dead.  My mind goes to miraculous manifestations of God's power at work in the lives of people.  Let us not imagine, however, signs and wonders are a New Testament phenomenon.  The Bible makes it clear God has been doing signs and wonders through His people since the beginning, and in ways that might surprise you.

The context of Isaiah 8 is God directing the prophet Isaiah to name his son "Mahershalalhashbaz," quite a mouthful.  I am sure many people were quite surprised anyone would name their son a compound word that is basically a sentence meaning, "speedy spoil and hasty plunder."  It was meant to be a divine encouragement that the Assyrian/Israel alliance formed against Judah would soon fail, even before the boy Mahershalalhashbaz would be able to say "my father and my mother."  When people of Judah heard of the enemies gathering against them they were shocked by the confederacy and put in fear.  Through the prophet God told His people that He should be their fear and dread, not the schemes or powers of man.

Instead of seeking news from informants of the political and military intrigue, Isaiah was determined to seek the LORD.  Hear what he said in Isaiah 8:18-20:  "Here am I and the children whom the LORD has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, Who dwells in Mount Zion. ¹⁹ And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰ To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."  This puts "signs and wonders" in a new light, doesn't it?  People took note of the odd name Isaiah gave his son in obedience to God and wondered.  There was a push to go to wizards and mediums, to seek counsel from familiar spirits when God had already spoken.  Whilst others were in fear of being plundered by invaders, Isaiah feared God and made God's law and testimony his plumb line of truth.

Isn't it a miracle when people seek the LORD in a world of news reports and conspiracies?  It is a sign to God's people and all the world when a person believes God and walks according to His word.  Perhaps some viewed Isaiah as "old school" and the scriptures as boring and outdated, but God made this man and his family signs and wonders so they might consider and change their minds and ways.  This is the power of signs of wonders:  not so much the restoring of a withered hand, feeding hungry people a meal or raising the dead, but to cause a man to believe God is LORD, that Jesus is the Christ.  Some who saw the sign and wondered changed their mind about Jesus, having heard He was a deceiver by the envious, and were born again by faith in Him.  The ultimate miracle took place when people were born again and as a result entered into fellowship with God and eternal salvation.

Instead of being swept up in conspiracies and news reports that provoke fear, blessed is the one God makes a sign and wonder because of his dogged trust in God with determination to seek and obey Him, who believes God's word having been born again by faith in Jesus.  Unless God commands us we don't need to name our child Mahershalalhashbaz as a sign, for God's word given to us is a greater sign and wonder than we are in ourselves.  We do not need to try to be a sign to anyone, for the one who sincerely trusts in Jesus and follows Him in faith will cause others to wonder if they too can find abundant life in Him.

You might not be called as a prophet, you might not speak with tongues and interpret, and you might not have a spouse or children, but you can be for signs and wonders in your family, church, workplace and city from the LORD of hosts.  Seeking God and heeding His word in this world causes us to shine forth exceedingly bright for His glory.

The Reality of Faith

It is wonderful when investigation into the claims of scripture confirm the truth of God's word.  Because the Bible is the word of God, we can place our faith in the infallible accuracy of the revelation.  I believe a problem can arise when well-intentioned people take it upon themselves to "prove" the Bible is true by the discovery of ancient artifacts or sites.  The Bible is not true because we have found the actual 10 Commandments or Noah's ark:  it is true because it is the word of God, and we therefore expect the evidence over time will stack up.

There will always be naysayers and doubters even if every single ancient artifact mentioned in the Bible was produced, authenticated, cataloged and kept safe in a museum.  The discovery of the Ark of the Covenant would not necessarily stir belief in the historical authenticity any more than an empty tomb near Jerusalem prompts people to believe Jesus is risen from the dead.  The facts are Jesus did rise from the dead, and it is possible the tomb carved out of the rock was used for others after Jesus rose.  The Garden Tomb in Israel is a wonderful spot where a tomb carved out of the rock sits empty as a memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Whether this was the actual tomb or not is not important:  the important point is Jesus is risen, just as He said.

Those who make appeals to science to "prove" the Bible is true can undermine their position when alternative scientific evidence is provided to the contrary.  Because God created the world and upholds the natural laws therein, science can be a asset to better understand and appreciate the greatness of God.  We also know God routinely is able to overrule the natural order with miraculous power like with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  To try to "prove" a human body can rise from the dead after being dead for days would be an impossible undertaking.  This is not difficult to believe, however, if you believe God miraculously created the heavens and the earth from nothing.  God spoke and it was done.

The word of God reveals the living God to those He created in His image, each with their own mind and will.  Those who take God at His word and choose to believe in Him do so according to knowledge.  The maps in the back of our Bibles remind us the setting for the scripture is in the world we live in, the world ruled by the almighty God who spoke light into the darkness, the God who brings life out of death, the One who offers eternal life by His grace.  The skeptic who demands proof Jesus existed would be hard pressed to prove Jesus did not exist.  Our faith does not rest in stones, wood or gilded boxes but in God who has given us His word, sent His Son Jesus Christ and saves all who trust in Him.

The LORD Our Shield

"Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah ³ But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head."

Psalm 3:2-3

When I read this passage it occurred to me David's knowledge of God lead him to rest and confidence believers can sometimes lack.  The circumstances around the penning of this psalm was Absalom had declared himself king in Hebron, David's most trusted advisor and many others defected and conspired with him, and thus David fled from Jerusalem to prevent bloodshed.  One might expect David to pray for protection for his household and himself, yet instead David acknowledged God was a shield for him.

Do you see the difference between praying to God for protection and knowing God is your shield?  Since God was David's shield in Whom he sought refuge in by faith there was no need for him to pray for protection.  Of course there is nothing wrong with praying for God to protect us, but reading David's words gave me pause to consider how many things I have prayed for God to do for me or others that He always is for us.  There were many people who said there was no help for David in God, but God was a shield for David, his glory and the One who lifts up his head.

David's help was not in his army, the defenses of Jerusalem or in the wisdom of his advisors but in God who was his shield.  Because God is the LORD and sovereign over all, it did not matter if David prayed from the Mount Moriah or as he ascended the Mount of Olives:  David was heard and God was his shield, glory and lifter of His head.  Blessed is the man whose head is lifted by the LORD, whose eyes are fixed upon our Saviour Jesus Christ who is KING OF KINGS!

The LORD is near to all who cry out to Him and protects us, and Philippians 4:4-7 says:  "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  By faith let us draw near to the gracious God who has revealed Himself to us Who guards, keeps and shields us from harm with His perfect peace.

Get Praying!

 “A moving buddy -- if you don't have one, get one!”

Woody – Toy Story

As moving day approached in the movie Toy Story, Woody strongly urged all toys to find a “moving buddy” for their safety and support.  I have heard believers exhort other Christians in a similar manner to “get prayer” or encourage them to find someone if they “need prayer.”  This way of speaking of prayer might suggest prayer is something we need others can do for us, that prayer is primarily about what we receive or there are greater benefits on offer when we coordinate with others.  The Bible does not speak about prayer in terms of getting but doing ourselves, and to pray with other Christians with likeminded faith is a privilege, responsibility and birthright of believers we ought to embrace.  

The spiritual reality is we are exhorted to pray without ceasing because this is the will of God for us.  We need to pray for the health of our souls even as we breathe for the health and support of our bodies.  In this sense we “need prayer” but not that we need someone to pray for us to be heard:  we are commanded by God to pray and as we look to Jesus He provides an example of a prayer-filled life.  Jesus prayed, and His disciples exhorted others to pray for them.  But we do not hear Peter or Paul in conversation saying, “I need prayer” because prayer is a means to draw near to the God we need Who hears us.  In a strange way prayer itself or people we trust know the LORD and will pray for us can almost be idols we look to for help, support or benefits when God is the source of all these good things.  

Prayer fundamentally is more about giving than getting, though we do receive many benefits from obedience to God in prayer.  It takes the form of giving thanks, offering praise, seeking the LORD, humbly laying down our will to align ourselves with God’s will.  We are also called to intercede for others, to make our requests known to God.  Prayer is a means God uses to meet many of our needs and this is something all born again believers can do by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  God graciously does respond to prayers for ourselves and others, but to rely on the prayers of others for us when we will not pray ourselves is hypocrisy.  We must be cautious our faith never shifts to the one who prays for us rather than God Who is addressed in prayer.  

Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-6, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”  Notice Jesus said, “When you pray…” because it is something His disciples ought to regularly do.  We do not pray to be seen, nor did Jesus in His example suggest a need to include a person to boost the effectiveness of our prayers.  Because God is with us and knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, our prayer power is not like a weak wi-fi signal with limited range because God draws near to commune with us. 

We ought to pray individually, and we are also encouraged to pray corporately.  James 5:13-18 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”  The overarching point here is the prayer of faith in God is effective.  Don’t allow the details about elders, oil, confession of sin, and healing distract from the primary point James made, that the prayer of faith is of primary importance.  That is why James cited the example of Elijah, a regular guy who prayed earnestly by faith in God and God answered him.  If God answered the prayer of Elijah who was deemed righteous by faith in Him, God will answer us too.

 The exhortation then?  Let us pray in faith and obedience to God!  Invite others to join with you in praying, not because you need to “get prayer” but because you trust God and desire to seek Him.  The power is not in prayer but in the God who answers prayer and in the Holy Spirit-filled person who demonstrates faith and joyful obedience to pray to God. :)