The Sign

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]. Isaiah 7:14 AMPC

Placing today's extract in context, this was pronounced in a season of war and conspiracies. Israel had teamed up with an enemy nation - Syria - to oppress Judah. This was a nation called by God to be different, yet had blended into the environment. It no longer sought God's help, but now relied on human alliances for support. In this season when we remember the greatest gift and help given, we must remember that the arm of flesh has been failing since the days of Adam, and it will keep failing as long as this earth will remain.

The king of Judah was promised protection, not necessarily because he was a good man, but because of God's own promise of sustenance. When things go the way you 'plan', do you acknowledge you have been helped? When all seems to fall into place, does your heart acknowledge the fact that only God does perfect things?

And then the prophet asked the king to ask God for a sign, to prove that all of God's promises would come to pass. The king declined. Very importantly, God doesn't need my validation for his Word to be fulfilled. God himself gave a sign, and it is the sign for this season. I wonder why this had to be the sign - the coming of the Saviour. No matter what happens in the now, God's gift has taken care of the future. Even when the present does not make sense, God's gift says that today and tomorrow is taken care of. Everything about the sign speaks of God's power and might. From a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a son, one vouched for by God and approved as the Saviour of the world, to the fact that this gift is named Emmanuel, God's ever present help, I get the distinct impression that God really does have a plan for my present and my future. His gift is the greatest any man could receive, and I can only enjoy what the gift offers, if I accept the gift as He is. This gift is the peace all around, even when war is imminent, and He is the assurance of eternal redemption even when nothing seems certain.

What would it be for you? What is your decision? His time of favour is here.