Continuing with my last two sports-themed posts, anyone who watches ESPNs GameDay is familiar with the weekly segment on signs accompanied by the catchy song Signs.  This is one of my favorite segments because of the song and specifically the line “sign, sign everywhere a sign.”

The kids make fun of me because one of my favorite sayings is “that’s a sign” meaning that God is trying to communicate with us. My favorite “sign” story occurred in 2007 when we were trying to decide if Derrick should transfer from Fellow Christian School to Roswell High School primarily for baseball reasons.

We were down to 1 week to make a decision and we were having a very hard time deciding as we carefully weighed the pros and cons. I was very neutral on the decision believing that God would make it clear – that He would give us a sign.

With 3 days left to decide, we were helping a client find a house and we chose 10 homeowners to call to schedule appointments. This is what we heard on the very first dial: “This is…………., head baseball coach for Roswell High School.”

Derrick transferred the next day.

At Christmas time I think about how God spoke to Joseph letting him know that he should still marry Mary rather than divorce her as he was contemplating:

Matthew 1:18-24 “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”

While God can still communicate to us through dreams, He communicates with us more clearly through more reliable means:

1. His Word – I believe this is the best way for God to communicate with us. It is not always easy to know if thoughts are our thoughts or God’s. But He provides us with clear instructions and wisdom via His Word. 

2. Prayer and the Holy Spirit – Through prayer, God communicates with us if we listen and allow Him to conform us to His purposes. God’s Spirit speaks to us through our conscience, helping to make the right decision. When we’re tempted, that same Spirit warns and nudges us to do the right thing. 

3. Community – God can communicate with us through other believers. We do need to ensure any advice is validated through the Scriptures. I love Andy Stanley’s quote about wise counsel: “Who you hang out with is a picture of the future you.”

God is constantly trying to communicate with us through various ways; the question is are we listening?

Isaiah 55:11 “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

In His Service,

Ed