What we need to know about obeying God

Just the other day, I had one of those unexpected God moments.

I felt the Lord leading me to take a trip. This wasn’t just any ol’ trip. He impressed it on my spirit at 12.03 am to take a trip that required I head out by 5.05 am.

So, I basically had a few hours to pack and get ready, I also had about the same time to inform my family that I was taking this trip. You can imagine their shock!

Suffice to say, after a bit of struggle in my spirit – I had to decide if my concerns were from a place of fear or faith.

At that moment, I realized that not going and finding out God wanted me to go would be worse than going and finding out he didn’t want me to travel. I erred on the side of action.

This may seem confusing, but I hope to explain it better by sharing three realities of following God.

1. It will not always make sense

If we are being honest, we will confess that God’s way hardly ever makes ‘human’ sense and that’s okay. Apostle Paul explains this eloquently:

Brother and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-28

We, humans, tend to take the glory, we are quick to ascribe the victories to our perceived capabilities. Like the rulers of the old, we say the good things happened because of who we are.

However, with each new experience with God, one thing is always clear – I can’t take credit for any of it. I have seen Him provide miraculously, open unbelievable doors, heal, save and direct me, time and again.

How can I then ascribe any of these experiences to my limited intellect, questionable actions, flawed character, and dodgy appearance? I can’t because while he used all these things, it was His grace that made it possible.

2. It will be a lonely journey

It is a lonely journey for two reasons – following God is an individual (solitary) walk. Secondly, people will not always understand. You will likely lose friends and others will leave you, especially in the valley seasons – which are plentiful for God’s children (He is constantly pruning and building us. A refiner of our hearts and minds).

I was recently meditating on Jesus and His disciples, particularly before his arrest. He had gone up to the mount with three of his disciples where he urged them to pray before walking to a corner to do the same, and every time he came back, he found them asleep. (see

I can imagine how lonely he must have felt at that moment, realizing that he was more or less fighting the battle himself. That though he loved them dearly, they couldn’t possibly understand the burden he was about to bear – that of the whole world. (See

There are so many Bible and Christian stories that depict this: from that of Abraham, Elijah, and David, to Gladys Alyward, Corrie Ten Boom, and Mary Slessor, amongst others.

The beauty of this recount is that it reminds us that we are not alone nor is our journey/struggle unique. There are so many others who were in similar situations and still are – and they triumphed.

 

3. It is an incredible adventure

There is no dull moment when we choose to live a sold-out life.

Think about it, is there any book in the world as interesting or complete as the Bible? I’m waiting. There isn’t! The Bible has it all – drama, romance, horror, thriller, comedy…

Think about Jonah’s foray into the whale’s belly or Moses dishing out the plagues What about the incredible splendor of Joseph’s story – from prison to palace? It could only have been God, right?

The reality of following God is that you never know what’s around the bend, but you trust that it will work out for your good. Sometimes, the adventure is one of strife, suffering, and pain, but you quickly realize that you can overcome (even smile) not because you’re crazy but because of God’s grace which is always sufficient. More so, having a godly perspective reroutes our minds on what we can overcome. James must have been downright crazy but so correct when he said this:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

James 1:2-4

 

Conclusion

Following God is an ongoing path we take one day at a time, one step at a time. It is an incredible privilege and not one we should avoid.

In closing, I will leave you with our Lord and Saviour’s words to the people, and by extension us:

Then he said to them all: If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

Luke 9:23-24