“True knowledge of God is born out of obedience.” John Calvin
Obedience is a great idea. We want our children to obey us, and we like the idea of being obedient to God. It sounds noble and pious. If you grew up in church, you probably know that “obeying God” is one of those Sunday school answers that are usually safe and right in most cases. But it’s something we all struggle to do. Why? In my own life, it all boils down to one word—CONTROL.
The Practical Side of Obedience
That’s right. I struggle with control issues. If I don’t have a handle on a particular situation or choices about my actions, I start to panic inside. Sure, on the outside I may look cool and collected, but on the inside, I’m scrambling to figure out some way to get back the security that comes with controlling the situation.
My husband called me out on it just a few days ago. His car battery died, so we had to take it up to the auto store to have it checked and replaced. From the moment I walked in, I smiled charmingly and took control of the conversation. I knew what was needed and had the confidence to get it done. When we got back out to the car with the new battery, my husband pointed out that I’d left him standing there with the battery and unable to get a word in the conversation. It wasn’t intentional. Taking control in a situation like that has become so much of a habit over the years, I don’t even realize I do it.
Something else I’ve realized is that sometimes it’s a little easier to obey the people in authority over me here on Earth. I can physically see them, hear their instructions, and often see the logic or how their instructions fit into a plan even if it’s not my plan or a plan I agree with. It still doesn’t always feel good or make me happy to obey because I’m not in control, but if the expectations are clear and reasonable I go along with the plan and do what I’m asked to do.
Limitless Distractions
I think obeying God can be more difficult for several reasons. First, we often question if what we’re being told to do really came from God. Some people have experienced the audible voice of God or gotten the message so clearly, that what God is asking them to do is undeniable. Most days, we don’t have that luxury. We have to listen for that still small voice, and even that is silent at times, in a world full of distractions.
Besides, listening takes time. Between writing, caring for the kids, taking care of the house, preparing meals, volunteering at church, and everything else that fills my calendar it’s hard to find time to listen. The truth is that there are limitless distractions in my life and every excuse not to take time to listen.
I can totally relate to Adam McHugh when he wrote:
“I have a suspicion that sometimes God goes silent to let me wear myself out with all my frustrations and shouts of unfairness and carefully worded arguments that mostly mask temper tantrums, until I am exhausted and perhaps finally ready to listen.” Adam S. McHugh, The Listening Life
Limitless Sacrifice
The second reason it’s difficult is that obedience to God means sacrifice. I’m not just talking about sacrificing careers or moving our families halfway around the world to be missionaries. One of the commonly known classic pieces of Christian literature is Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. I know. When I graduated from seminary, I was given three Bibles and two copies of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Throughout the Bible, God has led His followers to sacrifice everything, even their lives. That requires limitless sacrifice.
There’s also a perceived “dark side” to obeying God. Often the people closest to us have to sacrifice as well. Many of us are people pleasers. We don’t want to hurt others, but often we must choose between pleasing others and pleasing God. How many Christian martyrs left behind hurting families? How many families have been separated physically or emotionally when they choose to obey God? Yet in story after story, so many of these family members and friends who suffered for the sacrifices of others describe it as a blessing. It may be a painful or bitter-sweet blessing, but it’s a blessing just the same. It’s just hard to see those blessings in advance.
Limitless Time
I think another reason obeying God is difficult is because it takes time. I suppose this goes along with the first point on limitless distractions, but even without distractions obedience happens every day, not all at once. Elizabeth Elliot is credited with saying:
“One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.”—Elizabeth Elliott
Eugene Petterson wrote a book entitled, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”. The title says it all. As I’ve written this post, I can see clearly why I could write an entire book on obedience and still not cover everything. IT wouldn’t be a bestseller because people honestly don’t want to take the time to read a book that talks about sacrifice and giving up control.
In a “fast food society”, we often look at a time (or times) when we know we obeyed God and want to check that task off as done. I’m a list person. I love to check things off. We like tasks to have a beginning and an end. But the truth is that limitless obedience happens every single day without end. We’ll even have to obey God in eternity with Him, but the difference is that there we will see the joy without the heartache. Obedience never ends.
Limitless Control
The last reason (and my own enemy) is control. Many times God doesn’t make sense. He does not share His plans with me, His directions can often seem illogical, and He rarely asks me to do what I expect. In other words, God doesn’t fit in my box—I can’t control Him. He has limitless control, which means I don’t. And forget trying to convince God to do things my way. I’ve tried. Control is my security blanket, and I daily have to make the decision to find my security in Christ.
Sometimes it’s difficult to write about things like obedience because, if I’m honest, I fail more than I succeed. I hand God my “security blanket” of control in the morning as I pray, but then fight to get it back before the kids are even out the door to go to school. Then I sit down at my desk to work, and the Celebrate Recovery blue chip with the word “Control” written on it is dangling off the shelf right in front of me. It’s a bright blue reminder to start over and try again.
I have to remind myself of the bigger picture. I know the ultimate destination of this journey, even if God hasn’t shown me the exact path He’ll take me on to get from here to there. Recognizing that He holds the map and I depend on Him to tell me where to step is difficult on the best days. My hope rests in trusting He knows how everything ends.
“The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.”—Elizabeth Elliot
The questions we all have to answer are these: Am I willing to sacrifice control and security to practice limitless obedience? Is what I’m giving up worth more or less than what I will gain?
