Proof Comes After Faith

Exodus 3:12-15 (NLT)
Then God told him, "I will be with you. And this will serve as proof that I have sent you: When you have brought the Israelites out of Egypt, you will return here to worship God at this very mountain."

How many times have you said “if God will tell me what to do, I will do it?” Did you really mean “if God will give me proof that it is from him, I will do it”?

Here’s the scenario: The thought comes to mind to go out of your house and stand in the middle of the street. For some reason you sense there is a man that needs you. That’s an odd thought that has nothing to do with anything you are reading or doing at the time. You look out several windows in the house and see no one. Is it from God? You continue to ponder. If God would give you just a bit of proof that the thought came from him, you would run out there. Right? What kind of proof could he give you before you move? He could physically and supernaturally lift your body up and move you there himself but that wouldn’t require much faith. You are in your robe. This can’t be from God.

Another scenario: While going about your daily routine, a pregnant mother on bed rest, whom you hardly know at all, comes to mind. The thought is to make a nursery set for her. Some people can be pretty picky about the nursery decorations, especially for their first child. Why should you spend the time and risk giving something that may not be well received?

Both of these scenarios have happened. The first scenario involved a friend. He did not respond to the thought to go stand in the middle of the street and regrets it to this day. A few minutes after ignoring the thought, he heard the diesel truck of his neighbor start up. He would have been able to see the neighbor from the middle of the street. Nearly a year later, he went to meet this neighbor to discover that the man he would have seen had been struggling through a situation that he had experienced years before. The friendship seemed natural. Unfortunately, the man was moving in just a couple weeks. What opportunity was lost because he wanted proof before acting?

The second scenario involves a women at our church while I was on bed rest. It was a large church and we had moved to this town just six months before I went on bed rest. This wonderful lady acted on her thoughts and I was able to give her the proof that it was from God. This was my third pregnancy. The first was an early miscarriage. The second, a stillbirth in the second trimester. I had received several gifts but was not emotionally able to remove the tags from any of them. Even though I was very far along in the pregnancy, we had not prepared the nursery. When I received her gift, I cried. It was God telling me that this child would live.

What thoughts is God giving you? Will you step out on faith or miss the opportunity waiting for proof that it is from God? Will you trust him to handle it even if you are wrong? Don’t let the fear of how you appear (that would be pride) keep you from the thrill of participating in God’s divine nature.