Obedience Is About Trust Not Understanding

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." - Proverbs 3:5-8

 “There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion[…]. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you. […]  he time will come when everything will be explained. Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father— as if He were callous and indifferent— but remember, He is not. “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Understanding is not a pre-condition for God’s expectation that we obey Him.  There is something called Root-cause analysis that is intended to ferret out the true source of a particular problem.  One method is called the 5-Whys.  No – not 5 Guys, 5-Whys.  You keep asking why to every answer to why until you get to the root cause.  Perhaps you remember the saying, “For the want of a nail a shoe was lost, for the want of a shoe a horse was lost, for the want of a horse a king was lost, for the want of a king a kingdom was lost.”  The root cause of losing the kingdom was the loss of a nail in the horse’s shoe.  

Well, we ask “why” of God often as a pre-condition for obeying Him.  Have your children ever challenged you as their parent with “Why”?  “Because I said so!” was often my answer.  In a great respect that should be sufficient with God.  That He said so. We understand His nature.  We understand that there are things that we don’t know - that we don’t know.  God sees from beginning to end.  Jesus asked the question 

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  - Matthew 7:9-11

Of course this had to do with praying to God, but the expectation is the same.  God will do what is best for us and what will bring glory to Himself as we obey Him.  It is critical that you know it is God.  If it is in His Word, His Word is truth (John 17:17)  You must be a Christian to know His voice (John 10:27)  And that means your heart must be right, as a result of submitting your life to the Spirit of God.  Ignoring God and going your own way is not good, in fact, it’s sin.  

 “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” -  James 4:17

There is a song that goes, “Yes Lord, yes.  I will trust you and obey.  Yes Lord yes, to your will and to your way.  When your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree. And I will answer Yes, Lord .. .Yes!”  

But friend, don’t stop with Yes … James reminds us that faith without works (stepping out in obedience by faith) is dead.  – of no practical value.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone