Signs

PREVIEW: We don’t normally encourage people to pray for signs, somehow thinking that true faith doesn’t focus on physical answers. We teach faith over sight; that it is more spiritual to believe in the invisible than to grasp for the visible. But David’s faith led him to believe God for and boldly ask for a literal, physical sign that would prove to the whole world that he was living under Divine favor: “Give me a sign of your goodness!” What is so bad about that?

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 86:17

I have taken to praying this psalm regularly. Not so much the second part about my enemies—I may be naïve, but I don’t think I wrestle with people who are out to get me quite like David did. It’s the first part of that verse that I love: Give me a sign of your goodness.

Here is the way some of the other translations put it:

Send me a sign of your favor. (New Living Translation)

So look me in the eye and show kindness…Make a show of how much you love me. (The Message)

Show that you approve of me. (Contemporary English Version)

Show me proof of your goodness, Lord; those who hate me will be ashamed when they see that you have given me comfort and help. (Good News Translation)

That is a great prayer to pray in any version—and even better if God so happens to answer it. What was the sign David was looking for? For sure, David needed protection (“Guard my life,” Psalm 86:2), but he wouldn’t mind if God threw in a little mercy, too (“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long … Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did,” Psalm 86:3,16). David wanted God to give him reason to laugh (“Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you,” Psalm 86:4), perhaps from the knowledge that yet again he had been forgiven of his sins (“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you … But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” Psalm 86:5,15). In general, since David had fully devoted himself to God (“For I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you,” Psalm 86:2), he wanted his life to be living proof that God loved him.

We don’t normally encourage people to pray for signs, somehow thinking that true faith doesn’t focus on physical answers. We teach faith over sight; that it is more spiritual to believe in the invisible than to grasp for the visible. But David’s faith led him to believe God and boldly ask for a literal, physical sign that would prove to the whole world that he was living under Divine favor. What is so bad about that?

So go ahead, pray for a sign of God’s goodness today. I am! I am asking that God will show me a literal, physical sign of his favor today. I, unapologetically, want the whole world to know that he approves of me. I am requesting that God will look me in the eye and make a show of how fond he is of me—not tomorrow, but today!

Who knows, maybe God will grant our request today!