The God Signs

“Then he turned to the crowd: ‘When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’—and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’—and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.’” (Luke 12: 54-56, The Message)

Weather is a big issue.  We want to know what kind of weather to expect in the coming hours or days. We look up the weather forecast on our computers and mobile devices and watch or listen to the forecast on television or the radio.  We want to see the ten-day forecast.  Then we glance at the five-day detailed forecast, and the hourly forecast.  Can I play golf on Tuesday or will it rain?  What time will it rain?  Do I have time to get a round in or not?  Should I wear a sweater, coat, or short sleeves tomorrow?  Do I need an umbrella? What should I pack for a  trip up north, down south, or for the cruise?  What kind of weather will we encounter while camping, hiking, or walking around town?  Sometimes we pay more attention to the weather than to more important matters. 

Weather forecasting has been used for millennia to help prepare farmers for what is to come. The people in Jesus’ day were used to reading the signs of impending weather, but were ignoring the signs of the times.  

Jesus was announcing an earth-shattering event that would be more important than this year’s crops—the coming of God’s kingdom, but the people weren’t paying attention: “Then he turned to the crowd: ‘When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’—and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’—and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.’” (Luke 12: 54-56, The Message).

While we often ignore the signs of God’s direction and guidance in our lives—the God Season– many astrologers, psychics, and fortunetellers want us to believe that they have a crystal ball to see into the future to tell us what will happen.

A few years ago, a gentleman used his allotted three minutes of public comment at every Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors weekly meeting to warn the Board and the public of the impending end of the world on a date certain.  The day came and went.  God told Jeremiah to warn the people about soothsayers who “speak visions from their own minds”^[1]: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes.  They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23: 16).  

Some people with doomsday predictions have mental health challenges, but others have their own selfish reasons for making such predictions.  Jesus told us that no one knows the time when the Lord will come again: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But no one knows the day or the hour. No! Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows” (Matthew 24: 35,36).  We shouldn’t pay attention to anyone who says that they know the date of Jesus’ return. The psalmist reminds us that we should put our hope and trust in God’s Word “the mouth of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:16), not in the teachings of false prophets: “I have put my hope in your word. . . All your commands are trustworthy . . .” (Excerpts, Psalm 119: 81, 86).

And the author of Hebrews reminds us that it was by faith that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and others prevailed through great trials and were blessed: “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.  .  . By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future . . . By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff . . . By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt . . .By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict . . . By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned” (Excerpts, Hebrews 11:17-29).

 Our hope is contained in God’s Word; read the God signs.  The Creator of the Universe speaks to us through his Word.  Think about that for a moment.  What is required for you to grow closer to God?  Spend time reading the Scriptures slowly—and meditating on a few words or phrases.  Think about what God is saying to you. He is talking to you through sacred Scripture.

Our faith is not based on some pie in the sky wish, but on the solid Word of God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe, who sent his Son to die for our sins.  Read the Word, and put your faith in Christ Jesus, not in a horoscope or fortuneteller.  A weather forecaster makes his or her best guess based on the conditions of the atmosphere at a given place and time.  But God’s promises and assurances are rock solid. You can take them to the bank.

Prayer:  Father, we thank and praise you for speaking to us through your Word.  Help us to really listen to your words of wisdom, guidance, comfort, and hope.  Inspire us to hold your words close to us and let them sink into our souls, so that they become a part of us.  Help us to read the God signs for our lives in sacred Scripture.  Amen

Diane Cieslikowski Reagan

^[1] The Scripture texts for next Sunday are Jeremiah 23:16-29; Psalm 119:81-88; Hebrews 11:17-31 (32-40), 12:1-3; Luke 12:49-53 (54-56).