Is It Faith or Foolishness to Ask God for a Sign? You Answered.

Is it faith or fear when we ask for a sign? Your stories revealed the deeper question: are we trusting God—or trying to take control?

Bottom Line Upfront: Sometimes the greatest act of faith isn't asking for a sign—it's learning to trust God's voice through the wisdom of others, even when it stings.

Forty-five days. That's how long our million-dollar gift has been delayed, with no word on when it will arrive.

As CEO of Back to the Bible, I'm staring down one of the worst financial crises in our 86-year history. Staff and the entire ministry's future hangs in the balance. The weight of leadership feels crushing because, by design, our governance board stays out of daily operations.  Therefore, as CEO, our board holds me solely responsible for the decisions of how we go forward operationally.

So, I did what any concerned leader might do—I asked you, our community of Christ Followers, a question that's haunted believers for millennia:

"Is asking God for a sign a matter of faith or foolishness?"

Your response was overwhelming. More than 200 of you answered, and your wisdom shattered my assumptions.

What You Told Me Changed Everything

The statistics alone were revealing:

• 76.6% said "No"—it's not foolish to ask God for a sign

• 10.3% said "Yes"—it shows testing or doubt

• 13.1% said "It depends"—motives and maturity matter

But your stories went far deeper than the numbers. One reader captured it perfectly: "I believe in God, whether He gives me a sign or not, but I really appreciate the times He did—those moments bolstered my faith."

You quoted Scripture, shared stories of divine timing, miraculous provision, and supernatural confirmation, and warned me that not every sign is from God and that silence doesn't mean He isn't speaking.

The response that stopped me in my tracks.

One reader, Carol, wrote with boldness and grace. She noticed how many times I used the word “I” in a recent message—39 to be exact. Her question was pointed: “Are you carrying this all alone?” She challenged me to make sure I wasn’t cloaking my will in the language of God’s will. She reminded me that God's silence might be the answer I need—and that stepping into “action mode” too quickly may be how I wrestle the problem back from God's hands into my own.

Ouch. And… thank God.

Carol’s words were a gift. So were yours. Because they helped me realize that asking for a sign is not the issue. The issue is our posture before God.

In Scripture, Gideon asked for a sign, and God gave it. But Jesus also warned that “a wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign.” Which is it?

According to the Word—and many of you—the difference lies in the motive. Are we asking in faith, or demanding out of fear? Are we listening to God’s voice through His Word and His Spirit, or looking for something more convenient… something we can control?

That’s the danger Carol called out in me. And perhaps it’s one worth calling out in all of us.

So here’s what I’m learning:

• It’s okay to ask for a sign—if we’re asking out of trust, not testing.

• It’s not okay to act like we’ve left it in God’s hands, then take it back the moment we feel uncomfortable.

• And it’s never okay to carry the burden of leadership—or discernment—alone.

  
  

Back to the Bible has always been about shared wisdom and collective discernment. I'm not walking this path alone. I'm grateful for a godly board and a wise ministry team, and especially for my wife, Char. She reminded me that we never would have come to BTTB twenty-one years ago if I had interpreted our son's death from an overdose—which happened just a month before our move, while all our church and support systems were still in California—as a sign that God didn't want us to sell everything and relocate to Nebraska. Moving here turned out to be the best decision we have ever made in following God’s calling.

And I’m grateful for you—our extended family in the faith—who remind me daily that spiritual fitness isn’t a solo journey. It’s a shared one.

Asking God for a sign isn’t foolish. But using that request to shortcut patience, prayer, and accountability?

That’s the real danger.

So today, I recommit to trusting Him—whether He speaks through a fleece, a friend, or His Word.

Thanks for walking with me. And thanks, Carol, for the loving rebuke.

With humility and hope,

-Arnie