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Is it wrong to ask God to show us signs?
I know I have no right to ask God to show himself to me or give me signs. I am, of course, unworthy and the Bible states that the things that are unseen are eternal. We also see David's struggle with not feeling close to God or "seeing"/"hearing" him. I am wondering if asking God to show signs or let me feel something that guides me a certain way is wrong/unbiblical.
2 Corinthians 4:18
ESV - 18 As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
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Asked March 09 2018
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Elle Rose
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
I think that it is perfectly permissible to ask God for His guidance. Passages such as Psalm 25 and Psalm 86 express a desire by David for such instruction. At the same time, I would say that a Christian should (in faith concerning God's love and provision) leave the manner in which God provides that guidance, or His response to prayer, to His timing and judgment, rather than the Christian specifying how or when He should do it. The Christian should then be observant (through awareness of ongoing events, as well as through study of God's word) as to ways in which God might be speaking or acting, instead of "putting Him in a box" by specifying a particular form of response. Such a request might blind the petitioner to ways in which God is working that are even more effective or beneficial than what the petitioner had in mind. Although the Bible does contain examples of people (such as Gideon, for instance (Judges 6:11-40)), who requested (and received) specific forms of confirmation of their calling from God, there are also multiple passages that speak negatively of asking God for a sign as being indicative of a lack of faith, or even (in the words of Deuteronomy 6:16) of putting God to the test, which Jesus quoted (Matthew 4:5-7) when Satan tempted Him to show that He was the Son of God by throwing Himself from the top of the temple, in which Satan even cited Scripture (Psalm 91:11-12) regarding God's promise of protection.
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