Judges 6:36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 And Gideon said unto God ..... let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
This passage of scripture reveals to us a situation where Gideon was tasked with the very perilous undertaking of fighting and subduing the Midianites, who at that time held the Hebrews under oppressive rule. God had sent His angel to Gideon to inform him of the fact that he was to be The Lord's special agent in the defeat of Israel's enemies. The fact that an angel appeared to him in person and stated that God would be with him in the battle, should have been sufficient evidence to shore up his courage. Let's read:
Judges 6:12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
However Gideon thought it necessary to ask for additional signs, and The Lord granted his requests, although they were flawed. God does not generally have a problem with us asking for signs, but when we begin to stipulate what the sign should be, that's where we often stumble, for the signs which we request are often subject to variables that satan can then use to his advantage. One of the best ways to ask God for guidance in difficult situations is to let Him choose the sign if we need one, and He has the power to impress upon our hearts in His own time and way, what course of action we should pursue.
This is what Daniel did when he and his companions were faced with death because of the dream Nebuchadnezzar had, which he could neither remember nor explain. When the captain of the guard came to apprehend Daniel and his companions, he requested time so that The God of heaven could make the matter known to them, if it was His will. Therefore they prayed, not for any particular sign, but that God would help them out in His own special way, and He did. Let's read:
Daniel 2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
When we are faced with important decisions to be made, and we do not know what to do, let us then ask help of God, leaving Him to respond in a manner that He knows will resonate with us, and He will give us the necessary signs and wonders if need be, to guide us with wisdom and discretion in the ways of His choosing. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to trust implicitly in The God of heaven, for He says that if we call upon His name, we will never be disappointed either for signs or for answers. Let's read:
Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord" .... 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign".....
May God bless His word to our hearts, that our daily walk with Him may deepen in meaning and understanding. God bless!