If you’ve ever been to Monroe, Ohio and driven on I-75 then you’ve probably seen the 62-foot tall statue of Jesus off to the side; that is unless you’ve been there within the last month. In June that statue of Jesus was burned to the ground after a lightening strike.
The press seemed to have a heyday to see what Pastors would say when they heard that ‘Jesus got struck by lightening.’ Would their faith waiver? Would they see it as a sign from God?
I loved one Pastor’s response when he simply said, ‘the statue was nothing more than foam, wood and fiber glass,’ and he added that he was ‘glad the lightening hit Jesus and not the home for at-risk women next door.’ This was a simple response without any superstition or spiritualized assumptions.
I think too often we have a way of reading into things as if they are signs from God. Not too long ago I had someone tell me that God has spoken to her through a license plate. This woman claimed that the word on someone’s customized license plate was God’s word for her. I am not saying that God can’t speak to us through circumstances and things like license plates or statues getting struck by lighting, but in some cases the assumptions we come to contradict the truth and therefore it can’t be God speaking.
I think too often we have a way of reading into things as if they are signs from God.
Titus tells us that “God never lies” and Jesus Said, “I am… the truth.” So if we try to hear God outside of the Word (the Bible) He has given us, and without Christ as the basis for our understanding, then we are going to end up in some theological wasteland where we make garbage into something sacred.
When you think God is speaking to you through events or circumstances, first ask yourself these questions:
- Does this align with the truth found in the Bible?
- Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ reflected or honored in this?
- Am I trying to find God through other ways because I am avoiding prayer and Bible reading?
- Is this just an emotional pacifier or is it a nugget of truth for my soul?
Spend some time in prayer asking God to confirm what you are hearing through the power of the Holy Spirit and in His Word. I pray for you often that you may hear God’s voice clearly.
Have you had God speak to you? How did you verify it was truly God?
