Would life be better with signs
from God?
Arguably, one doesn’t witness
signs from God, today, in the way that people did in the scriptures. Prophets
aren’t telling nations to repent, God’s not smiting the wicked, and people
still pray. Did God leave the world to its own devices? Have people stopped
being sinners? Are prayers going unanswered? Would life be better with signs
from God? The scriptures have prophets, there is lots of smiting in the Cannon,
the word of the Lord came to God’s chosen in the Bible. Nations feared the Lord
in biblical narratives.
Perhaps, one can argue that God
was more active in people’s lives, during biblical times. Did having more signs
from God make biblical figures holy people? Evidence is to the contrary. People
spoke to God, people were chosen by God, and they were still sinners. King
David was the leader of God’s people and he had some illicit behaviors (2 Sm.11; 2 Sm. 12). David, the king, was still a sinful man.
Life without signs from God
hasn’t made the world more or less corrupt. With or without signs, Original Sin
has always tainted humanity. The Early Church had signs and they kept asking
for more (Jn. 6). Why do people continue to pray for signs and miracles; when
that’s never been what brought humans closer to God? The more miracles and
signs Jesus did, the closer he got to being crucified (Jn. 6:35-7:1). Pray
for healing, pray for forgiveness, pray for help, pray for wisdom, pray with
thanksgiving, pray in mourning, pray for faith, pray for hope, pray in lament,
pray with joy, and pray for endurance. Prayers can still be answered (and are
answered) without Jesus having to walk on water.
This world was broken and sinful
when miraculous signs occurred with the same frequency of television episodes. Signs
don’t make life better in the long run; they make life better, until one needs
another sign. The Lord hears our prayers and faith is God’s gift to the world.
Generations come and go, signs last like seasons, but people remain sinners. God
has not left the world to fend for itself; rather, God has graciously answered
the prayers of a world full of sinners – whether spoken or unspoken – with the
hope of the resurrection. Life and the world have never been better because of
signs from God. Instead of signs, it is God’s love and grace for all that has
redeemed and will continue to redeem the effects of Original Sin. The only sign
one needs from God was given to all through the event of the cross.
