A Sign

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece”. Judges 6:39 NKJV

Gideon wanted a sign from God, and he got it. That should have been the end of the matter, because Gideon’s request had been met unmistakably, but did you catch Gideon’s words in the verse? How many times have we (me included) been given an answer, clearly and directly, maybe as an answer to prayer, and we say like Gideon, “..let me test..just once more with the fleece..”?

God was patient with Gideon and accepted the test given, and the fleece was used again as the check on God’s will. We don’t always get two chances when God answers us. Maybe we don’t like the answer, and maybe the answer is too good to be true, so in each case we might ask God to rerun the test. God is sovereign, and in His wisdom may not do a repeat performance just for our benefit and ego. Surely once is enough when God speaks into our heart?

My thought is this: When we ask God for something important, and we get a reply that’s straight, direct and unmistakable right into our situation, do we have any right to ask God to double check His first answer? How many times do we expect an answer? Maybe we want another, different reply, but for whatever reason we show a lack of faith when we ask for the same thing twice, having been given a clear response the first time. It’s not as if we can ask for a second opinion because God is supreme. If you are a parent, you will know what it is to be asked for something again when you have already given your reply. Our human reply usually goes something like, “I have already answered that question”. Why then should we be surprised if God uses the same tactic to us, His children, to teach us faith? Or do we keep asking in the hope we will get the answer we want to hear, just like our children? Just wondering, and thinking out loud!