We should not imitate the servant’s prayer today, for he was under the special guidance of God. We do not pray for signs, because we have been given a different procedure for guidance, designed for Christians in the gospel age. We have the word, so we do not look for signs. Unfortunately, some believers do make the mistake of asking for signs, but the New Testament teaches that the Lord will both guide our thinking and overrule our circumstances in answer to prayer, bringing us to his chosen path.
It may be that we are eager to pray while there is no one in view, but less inclined to pray as soon as our affections are drawn to someone. Perhaps we want that person too much to pray for guidance, and apply the standards, forgetting how easily self-will and self-determination take over. Or we pray to the Lord to ‘guide’, but by guide we really mean ‘approve’. We need to examine our hearts even as we pray, and to be sure that we are sincere in asking for God’s overruling care.
There is a lesson to be learned from the nature of the sign which the servant requested. He did not ask that the woman should be dazzlingly beautiful, nor for a physical indication, such as a particular movement of arms or head, but rather he asked for a response that would reveal a kind heart and a serving spirit. He requested a sign of character, and there is the lesson for us. A spiritual heart is better than any abundance of human abilities. If we have a choice between someone with many attributes but no deep godliness, or someone far less gifted, but with a warm, godly heart, we must choose the latter.