A sign

Such affrontery.

I was leading a devotion on Isaiah 7. I had intended to emphasise the amazing promise of ‘Immanuel, God with us’ (Isaiah 7:14) but what niggled in my own heart that evening was the affrontery of audacious Ahaz. 

In Isaiah 7:10-12, we read, “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Who says, “I will not…” to God Almighty? Even if your words are padded with piety? 

 I finished the evening devotion with the challenge, “Is God offering you an invitation of any sort? What is your response?” 

Was it God? Was it me? Did I sense a divine whisper, “‘Ask me for a sign”? 

A sign of what?

A sign? A sign of what? My situation is quite different to Ahaz’ – he was in dire straits and had the prophet Isaiah standing in front of him. And I’m not about to take God’s words to Ahaz in a particular time and place and apply them willy-nilly to myself. Eisogesis, that is called, and I don’t approve of it.

But do I believe that God can and does communicate with us today? Yes indeed. It’s my interpretation of what is divine and what are just my own ideas that is in question. As a modern Western woman, I tend to see the two as quite distinct. People in some other cultures see the spiritual and the natural as integrated seamlessly. I am, however, a product of my culture.

It couldn’t hurt, could it? In God’s amazing kindness, he has already fulfilled the sign promised so many millennia ago to Ahaz of ‘Immanuel, God with us,” showing that deliverance was at hand. It was at hand for Ahaz (though in the context of judgement) and salvation is at hand for us too. That’s the ‘big’ sign. But perhaps he has a ‘little’ sign for me in this day and age as well?

What could be ‘the sign’?

This past year, ‘flight feathers’ have been a repeated theme, and one which I interpret as a sign from God. I have blogged about that before.

Over the past 4 1/2 years, since returning to Australia and dealing with health crises, shells have been a repeated theme. Yes, there are blog posts on that too.

And since first committing to long-term cross-cultural work as an impressionable young woman 30+ years ago, roses have been a repeated theme. How blessed am I to have God continually remind me of his presence and involvement in my life?! 

And so I asked for a sign. A sign of what, I’m not 100% sure, but it would be lovely to be reminded of God’s hand in and on my life, and he knows that my greatest wish is to be useful in his kingdom work. 

What would be the sign? Roses again? Shells? Flight feathers? Whatever God chooses to give, I would receive gratefully. It was the Monday morning of a two day ladies retreat. I asked, humbly, not in a demanding way … but I did ask for a sign … again.

A rose

Later that same day, I returned to my room for a half hour rest. I lay on the bed, eyes closed, thinking again about the request earlier that day for a sign. Opening my eyes, I looked at the single rose on the desk, silhouetted against the bright light outside. It was pretty. I picked up my iPad and snapped a photo. 

When I looked at the iPad screen, the photo was like none other. The sunlight seemed to have been refracted by the flyscreen on the windows, creating quite an amazing pattern of light around the beautiful bloom.

Was this my ‘sign’? 

A shell

After regrouping with the other ladies, a friend said, “Come and admire some beautiful blossoms on a gum tree outside.”  I picked up my iPad (for the camera) and followed her. The gum blossoms were pretty but what really astonished me in a place far from the ocean was a shell, mostly buried by my feet! 

The shell wasn’t perfect but it was pretty. It was very similar in shape and markings to that which God had first brought to my attention and which had encouraged me a lot 4 1/2 years ago. 

Was this my ‘sign’? 

A feather

On the Tuesday, our last day of retreat, I spotted a beautiful feather. It was another flight feather (obvious by its lopsided-ness). I pocketed it, wondering if this could be my sign.

The following day, back at home, sitting on the back porch pondering these things, a young magpie flew down and started strutting around in front of me.  I tried to shoo it away … I was worried about the cat pouncing on it. Its parents also swooped down and tried to move it along. It would not be dissuaded, however. It continued strutting for a good ten or fifteen minutes, the cat watching on with interest but inaction. 

It occurred to me that the feather in my hand probably came from a bird just like this. 

Was this my ‘sign’?

Flight feathers

Then yesterday, a couple of weeks after the retreat, as I started to draft this post, I spotted another young magpie in a tree practising its warbling. As I lifted my trusty iPad to take a photo, a noisy miner bird flew into the picture, its flight feathers beautifully displayed. Flight feathers again……

Was this my ‘sign’? 

If the prophet Isaiah were to sit on my porch and ‘have a cuppa’ with me, perhaps he could explain matters more succinctly. Nevertheless, I am pretty sure that our Heavenly Father has kindly given me sign upon sign over the past couple of weeks to remind me that he is intimately involved in my life. 

Participating in God’s work

I sense … I hope … that the ‘go slow’ season of the past few years is coming to an end and that I’m ready to fly again. I am a bit of a battered old shell these days. I think back to the idealistic young woman who was preparing to head to Asia 25 years ago (I left Australia indefinitely, so I thought, on April 1^st, 1995) and am grateful as I recognise the hand of God in my life throughout the years. My role in God’s work these days is different to what it was back then … but God still has a role for me to play, nonetheless.

So what is ahead? Only God knows. As I write this blog post, I am preparing for another short trip which I hope will be significant in a variety of ways, including with academic pursuits. I have just been invited to present a paper on a related topic at an academic conference next year – something which I find both surprising and an honour. I suspect that all this may be part of the work that God has in mind for me in this current season of life. Time will tell.

What I do know without a doubt is that God is with us. Yes, in a general sense he is with us always. And in a special sense, God is with those of us who are his through his indwelling Holy Spirit – something that ancient Ahaz could have hardly foreseen. 

But in his kindness, through roses, shells and flight feathers, he has reminded me afresh that he is intimately involved in the details of my life. He still has a role for me to play in his work. 

Immanuel – God with us – hallelujah.