“14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” ~ Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah told king Ahaz to ask the LORD for a sign. Any sign he wanted would have been done for him to see that the LORD God was going to deliver Judah out of the hands of the king of Syria and the king of Israel. But king Ahaz said no thank you, I will not ask. How often do we get the opportunity to ask for something, but we don’t, for whatever reason, and we miss out on a blessing? James said in his epistle that we have not because we ask not.
I remember many years ago, we were doing a 21-day fast, and we had maybe about 21 people participating. One night while praying and worshiping with everyone, I felt like the LORD was saying, ask me for anything you want. So, I told everyone there what I felt. I am not sure if anyone there asked. I was so caught in the moment; I never did ask for anything.
Ahaz, on the other hand, sounded so pious when he said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” But Ahaz was into idol worship and didn’t want to give them up because he rathered relying on the king of Assyria, whose gods he was worshiping. But this is what James said, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask:” (James 3:2).
But, God said, you know what, I’m going to give you a sign anyway because this sign is not for you alone, but for all people past, present, and future. What seems like an impossible task is what brought us salvation, for what is impossible with man is possible with God. This Christmas, put all doubt aside, cancel all reservations, and put the LORD God to the test and ask.
Heavenly Father, give Your people the confidence to approach your throne of grace with confidence and boldness that they may ask, claiming the promises You have promised us. And when we ask, please hear, and when You hear, please answer. Thank you for the sign of the first Christmas. We accept Your salvation, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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