Learning to Listen to God PSALM 81:8-16

God clearly calls us to listen to Him, but like the nation of Israel, we sometimes ignore His voice and miss His blessings. Learning to listen to the Lord is far more important than learning to talk to Him. Generally, we find it much easier to rattle off a prayer than to sit quietly with our Bibles open in our laps, waiting to hear what He has to say.

Since two-way conversation is essential in developing a relationship, being able to hear the Lord’s voice is a vital part of the Christian life. Sometimes we have the notion that after being saved, we just automatically know Him. But that is not true in any kind of relationship. Just as we grow to know another person through communication, so we become more intimately acquainted with the Lord through listening and talking to Him.

Not only do we need ears to hear His voice; we also must have discernment to accurately understand what He is saying. He’s not the only one who wants our attention. People around us readily offer us advice, Satan whispers his lies in our minds, and the world shouts loudly from almost every electronic device and form of media. Grounding in the Scriptures sharpens our discernment and protects us from deception.

Have you ever considered that neglect of God’s Word is a rejection of Him? He continually calls out, “Oh that My people would listen to Me” (Ps. 81:13). He is ready and willing to speak to those who will humble themselves, take the time to listen, and respond obediently to whatever He says.

Anticipate the End

Do you not know that the end will be bitter?

2 Samuel 2:26

Reader, if you are merely a professor and not a possessor of the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the following lines are a true sketch of your end.

You are a respectable attender at a place of worship; you go because others go, not because your heart is right with God. This is your beginning. I will suppose that for the next twenty or thirty years you will be spared to continue in this way, professing religion by an outward attendance upon the means of grace, but having no heart in the matter. Tread softly, for I must show you the deathbed of someone just like you. Let us gaze upon him gently. A clammy sweat is on his brow, and he wakes up crying, “O God, it is hard to die. Did you send for my pastor?” “Yes, he is coming.” The pastor comes. “Sir, I fear that I am dying!” “Have you any hope?” “I cannot say that I have. I fear to stand before my God. Oh, pray for me.” The prayer is offered for him with sincere earnestness, and the way of salvation is for the ten-thousandth time put before him, but before he has grasped the rope, I see him sink.

I may put my finger upon those cold eyelids, for they will never see anything here again. But where is the man, and where are the man’s true eyes? It is written, “In Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes.”¹ Why did he not lift up his eyes before? Because he was so accustomed to hearing the Gospel that his soul slept under it. If you should lift up your eyes in hell, how bitter will be your wailings. Let the Savior’s own words reveal the woe: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.”² There is a frightful meaning in those words. May you never have to spell it out by the red light of God’s wrath!

¹Luke 16:23 ²Luke 16:24

The God Who Speaks HEBREWS 1:1-2

Throughout human history, God has been speaking to mankind in various ways. His prophets were moved by the Spirit to proclaim and write His words, but His ultimate expression came through His Son. Today most believers acknowledge that God speaks primarily through His written Word, yet the voice that dictated the Bible has not ceased. Through His Holy Spirit, the Lord still communicates to every Christian who takes the time to listen with an open and receptive heart.

Stop to consider the wonder of having a God who speaks–not just a distant deity who thunders orders and admonishments from heaven, but one who actually wants to have a conversation with you! Why would the Lord of all creation go to such lengths to communicate personally with each of us? Consider the following reasons:

• God loves you and desires a relationship with you.
• He wants you to know Him personally through intimate communication.
• He longs to encourage you to trust Him. As you experience the fulfillment of His words, your faith grows strong.
• He wants to guide you. The Lord has a good purpose for your life and is willing to direct your decisions and ways so you can experience all that He has planned.

In our busy world, it’s easy to take for granted this invaluable privilege of communication with God. If we are too busy or distracted to hear, His voice will not stop–but we’ll miss out on the riches of an intimate relationship available only to those with receptive hearts and ears.

“Till Now…”

What do you think about the Christ?

Matthew 22:42

The great test of your soul’s health is, What do you think about Christ? Is He the best of friends—”distinguished among ten thousand”¹—your all in all? When Christ is held in such esteem, all the faculties of the spiritual man are energized. I can gauge your piety by this standard: Does Christ take a high or low position with you? If you have thought little of Christ, if you have been content to live without His presence, if you have cared only slightly for His honor, if you have neglected His laws, then I know that your soul is sick—God grant that it may not be a sickness leading to death!

But if the first thought of your spirit has been, How can I honor Jesus?—if the daily desire of your soul has been, “O that I knew where I might find him!”² I tell you that you may face a thousand infirmities, and even hardly know whether you are a child of God at all, and yet I am persuaded beyond a doubt that you are safe, since Jesus is great in your esteem.

I’m not concerned about your rags—what do you think of His royal apparel? I’m not concerned about your wounds, though they bleed profusely—what do you think of His wounds? Are they like glittering rubies in your esteem? I think none the less of you, though you lie like Lazarus on the refuse pile, and the dogs lick you—I do not judge you by your poverty: What do you think of the King in His beauty? Does He sit enthroned in your heart? Would you set Him higher if you could? Would you be willing to die if you could add another trumpet to the melody that proclaims His praise? Then it is well with you. Whatever you may think of yourself, if Christ is great to you, you will be with Him in the end.

Though all the world my choice deride,
Yet Jesus shall my portion be;
For I am pleased with none beside,
The fairest of the fair is He.

¹Song of Solomon 5:10 ²Job 23:3

Clean Feet, Clean Heart JOHN 13:3-15

Israel can be a dusty place, and sandaled feet get filthy walking to and fro. In ancient times, a person entering a home removed his sandals and cleaned his feet. Or if the homeowners were wealthy, servants would do the washing. This distasteful but necessary task fell to the worker of lowest position in the household.

Imagine the disciples’ surprise when the Son of God put Himself in the role of a lowly servant and knelt to wash their feet. The need for such a service was great, as they had been traveling for some time. But not one of them offered to do it.

Jesus did more than fill a need; He offered an object lesson. As He explained, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:15 NLT). Some churches have incorrectly interpreted this as a command to make foot washing an ordinance. But it’s possible to clean someone else’s skin without contemplating the significance of Christ’s actions.

In fact, the act itself is not the main point; attitude is what counts. Jesus desires that we be willing to humble ourselves to serve others. He is looking for men and women who will ignore pride, position, and power in order to do whatever must be done, wherever it needs doing, and for whoever requires assistance.

Jesus performed His greatest and most humble acts of service within 24 hours of each other. He washed dirty feet using two hands that would be pierced by nails in less than a day. The message here is that every task God gives us is important to His kingdom.

Follow Boldly

I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Matthew 10:34

The Christian will be sure to make enemies. It will be one of his objects to make none; but if doing what is right and believing what is true should cause him to lose every earthly friend, he will regard it as a small loss, since his great Friend in heaven will be even more friendly and will reveal Himself to him more graciously than ever. You who have taken up His cross, don’t you know what your Master said? “I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother . . . And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”

Christ is the great Peacemaker; but before peace, He brings war. Where the light comes, the darkness must vanish. Where truth is, the lie must flee; or if it remains, there must be a stern conflict, for the truth cannot and will not lower its standard, and the lie must be trampled underfoot. If you follow Christ, you will have all the dogs of the world yelping at your heels. If you live in such a manner as to stand the test of the last judgment, you can depend upon it that the world will not speak well of you.

He who has the friendship of the world is an enemy to God; but if you are true and faithful to the Most High, men will resent your uncompromising commitment, since it is a testimony against their iniquities. You must do the right thing and not fear the consequences. You will need the courage of a lion to pursue a course that turns your best friend into your fiercest foe; but for the love of Jesus you must take your stand. To risk reputation and affection for the truth’s sake is so demanding that to do it constantly you will need a degree of moral principle that only the Spirit of God can work in you. Do not turn your back like a coward, but play the man. Follow boldly in your Master’s steps, for He has made this rough journey before you. Better a brief warfare and eternal rest than false peace and everlasting torment.

The Pattern for Servanthood MATTHEW 20:25-28

In the world’s thinking, great men are the ones with authority, prominence, and power. Though Jesus Christ had all that, He gave it up to become a servant (Isa. 42:1).

Jesus gave Himself completely to fulfill the Father’s plan of redemption, even though the beneficiaries–namely, each of us–were undeserving. God is holy and righteous, and He cannot be in the presence of sin. Therefore, He must separate Himself from those who are stained by wrongdoing. That includes all of humanity (Rom. 3:23).

Everybody is born captive to the desires of the flesh (Rom. 6:16-18). When someone claims to be living on his “own terms,” he is actually serving whatever his human nature craves. The penalty for that false sense of liberty is death (Rom. 6:23).

Jesus’ ultimate act of service was to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). The word describes the price paid to set a slave free–Christ voluntarily purchased our liberation. There was only one way our holy God could remove our guilt yet remain true to His own law: Someone sinless had to pay our sin debt for us.

Jesus’ sacrifice spared us the penalty we deserve. Instead, we receive the gift of grace and have been declared no longer guilty. Moreover, we are elevated from slaves to sons and daughters of the Almighty!

Jesus served the Father’s purpose faithfully. He gave up His righteousness to carry the weight of all our wickedness–and endured a crushing separation from His Father. To meet our needs, the Savior held nothing of Himself back, and thereby set a powerful example of servanthood for us follow.

Find Your Life in Christ

And the Lord will guide you continually.

Isaiah 58:11

“The LORD will guide you.” Not an angel, but the Lord will guide you. He said He would not go through the wilderness before His people, but an angel would go before them to lead them in the way; but Moses said, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”¹

Christian, God has not left you in your earthly pilgrimage to be guided by an angel: He Himself leads the procession. You may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but the Lord will never forsake you. Notice the word will—”The LORD will guide you.” This makes it certain! We may be sure that God will not forsake us! His precious shalls and wills are better than men’s promises. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”²

Then observe the adverb “continually.” We are not merely being led sometimes, but we have a perpetual guide; not occasionally left to our own understanding, and so to wander, but continually hearing the guiding voice of the Great Shepherd; and if we keep close to His heels, we will not drift but will be led by a right way to our eternal dwelling. If you have to change your position in life, if you have to emigrate to another country, if it should happen that you are poverty-stricken or suddenly promoted to a more responsible position than the one you now occupy, if you are thrown among strangers or cast among foes, don’t tremble, for “the LORD will guide you continually.”

There are no dilemmas out of which you will not be delivered if you live near to God and your heart is kept warm with holy love. You will not go astray in the company of God. Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot miss your road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, unchangeable love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. “The LORD”—mark the word—”the LORD will guide you continually.”

¹Exodus 33:15 ²Hebrews 13:5

The Ultimate Giver ROMANS 11:33-36

Amid all the preparations, decorations, and celebrations of the Christmas season, we need to set aside some quiet time to reflect upon the divine gifts that forever changed the course of human destiny. When that tiny baby entered our world in Bethlehem, the first of a never-ending stream of blessings was unleashed from heaven.

We generally focus on the Father’s gift: He gave His Son to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). But all three members of the Trinity have a part in this divine display of generosity, which continues into eternity. Jesus came to offer His life as a ransom for many, and after His death and resurrection, He and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to live inside believers forever (Mark 10:45; John 14:16; 16:7). The Spirit in turn gives spiritual gifts to all believers and produces His marvelous fruit in their lives (1 Cor. 12:7-11; Gal. 5:22-23).

The divine presents don’t end on earth. They continue in heaven when the Lord judges Christians and grants them rewards for good works that they could never have accomplished apart from His strength (1 Cor. 3:13-14; John 15:5). All the credit and glory belong to Him, and yet He graciously showers praise on His followers (1 Cor. 4:5).

We serve a caring, generous God. Think about the nonstop outpouring of blessings from His throne, and ask, How will I respond today? He needs nothing from you, but He wants every part of you–not to ruthlessly control but to show you the “surpassing riches of His grace in kindness” (Eph. 2:4-7).

Have You Sinned Today?

And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Job 1:5

What Job did early in the morning, after the family festivities, it will be good for the believer to do for himself before he rests tonight. Amid the cheerfulness of household gatherings it is easy to slide into sinful frivolity and to forget our declared character as Christians. It ought not to be so, but sadly it is, that our days of feasting are very seldom days of sanctified enjoyment but too frequently degenerate into unholy amusement. It is possible to experience joy as pure and sanctifying as a dip in the rivers of Eden: Holy gratitude should be just as purifying an element as grief. Sadly for our poor hearts, facts prove that the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting.

Come, believer, how have you sinned today? Have you been forgetful of your high calling? Have you been like others in using empty words and unguarded speech? Then confess the sin, and flee to the sacrifice. The sacrifice sanctifies. The precious blood of the Lamb removes the guilt and purges the defilement of our sins of ignorance and carelessness. This is the best ending of a Christmas day—to wash anew in the cleansing fountain. Believer, come to this sacrifice continually; if it is good tonight, it is good every night. To live at the altar is the privilege of the royal priesthood; to them sin, bad as it is, is nevertheless no cause for despair, since they draw near once more to the sin-atoning victim, and their conscience is purged from dead works.

Gladly I close this festive day,
Grasping the altar’s hallow’d horn;
My slips and faults are washed away,
The Lamb has all my trespass borne.

Christmas: A Time for Giving LUKE 2:1-20

Christmas is one of the happiest holidays because during this season, people are more generous than at any other time of the year. The practice of giving is not a recent innovation–it began on the first Christmas when Jesus was born. Everyone in the story had something to give.

• When Mary submitted to God’s plan, she gave her body to be the first home of the incarnated Savior (Luke 1:30-38).
• When She also surrendered her good reputation in order to fulfill the Lord’s calling for her life.
• When Joseph offered his love and protection to Mary and the child who was not his own (Matt. 1:18-25).
• When An angel gave an announcement of the Messiah’s birth to some lowly shepherds who were watching their flocks at night.
• When A heavenly host of angels offered praise and glory to God.
• When The shepherds shared the first personal testimony about the Messiah.
• When The wise men relinquished the comfort of home to seek the newborn King and give Him gifts worthy of royalty (Matt. 2:1-11).

At first glance, these gifts may seem to pertain only to the first Christmas, but they each have application for us today. Believers are called to give of themselves to the Lord and to one another in similar ways.

Look at this list again. What gifts could you give to Christ today? Maybe you need to submit to His will in a difficult area or endure misunderstanding in order to obey Him. And how about others? Who needs your protection, love, or perhaps the good news of salvation in Christ?

On Whose Side Are You?

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

Isaiah 40:5

We anticipate the happy day when every knee will bow before Christ; when the gods of the heathen shall be cast to the moles and the bats; when empty religion will be exploded, and the crescent of Mohammed will topple, never again to cast its harmful rays upon the nations; when kings shall worship before the Prince of Peace, and all nations shall call the Redeemer blessed. Some despair of this. They look on the world as a ship breaking up and going to pieces, never to float again. We know that the world and all that is in it will one day be burned up, and afterwards we look for new heavens and for a new earth; but we cannot read our Bibles without the conviction that—

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run.

We are not discouraged by the length of His delays; we are not disheartened by the long period that He assigns to the church in which to struggle with little success and much defeat. We believe that God will never tolerate this world, which has once seen Christ’s blood shed upon it, remaining as the devil’s stronghold. Christ came here to deliver this world from the detested sway of the powers of darkness. What a shout that will be when men and angels unite to cry “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God Almighty reigns”.¹

What a satisfaction it will be in that day to have had a part in the fight, to have helped to break the arrows of the bow, and to have shared in winning the victory for our Lord! Happy are those who entrust themselves to this conquering Lord, and who fight side by side with Him doing their part in His name and by His strength! How unhappy are those on the side of evil! It is a losing side, and it is a matter in which to lose is to lose and to be lost forever. On whose side are you?

¹Revelation 19:6

Learning Obedience through Suffering HEBREWS 5:7-8

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to suffer so much when He came to earth as a man? One might expect that the Son of the living God would live a comfortable life and die a peaceful death. After all, wouldn’t His blood have paid for our sins whether it was shed painlessly or torturously?

But Jesus took on human flesh and came to earth not just to die for our transgressions but also–with the exception of sin–to identify with us in every area of our lives. And that includes suffering (Heb. 2:17-18). How would a Savior who had no experience with pain help us when we hurt? Also, when it’s difficult for us to obey the Lord, we need the help of One who learned obedience from the things He suffered.

Unlike us, Jesus didn’t move from being rebellious to becoming obedient. Rather, He learned by personal experience the pathway we have to walk when God calls us to do something difficult or painful. In His humanity, Christ struggled with the assignment that lay before Him: death on the cross. Even though the Father heard His cries, the plan was not changed, and Jesus walked through all of it in complete submission, just as He had done with every divine “assignment” throughout His earthly life.

The only reason you and I have salvation is because Jesus always did what pleased His Father–had He rebelled in that one area, all hope for lost humanity would be cancelled. If His obedience in suffering resulted in such a great benefit, just imagine what is in store for us when we do what God wants.

We See Thee Face to Face

Yours is the day, yours also the night.

Psalms 74:16

Lord, You do not abdicate Your throne when the sun goes down, nor do You leave the world during all those long wintry nights to be the prey of evil. Your eyes watch us like the stars, and Your arms surround us as the band of planets belts the sky. The benefit of kindly sleep and all the influences of the moon are in Your hand, and the alarms and solemnities of night are equally with You. This is very sweet to me when walking in the midnight hours or tossing to and fro in anguish.

There are precious fruits supplied by the moon as well as by the sun: May my Lord make me a favored partaker in them. The night of affliction is just as much under the arrangement and control of the Lord of Love as the bright summer days when all is bliss. Jesus is in the tempest. His love wraps the night about itself like a cloak, but to the eye of faith the sable robe is scarcely a disguise. From the first watch of the night even to the break of day the eternal Watcher observes His saints and overrules the shades and shadows of midnight for His people’s highest good. We believe in no rival deities of good and evil contending for mastery, but we hear the voice of Jehovah saying, “I form light and create darkness . . . I am the LORD, who does all these things.”¹

Gloomy seasons of religious indifference and social sin are not exempted from the divine purpose. When the altars of truth are defiled, and the ways of God forsaken, the Lord’s servants weep with bitter sorrow, but they need not despair, for even the darkest eras are governed by the Lord and will come to an end at His command. What seems defeat to us may be victory to Him.

Though enwrapt in gloomy night,
We perceive no ray of light;
Since the Lord Himself is here,
‘Tis not fitting we should fear.

¹Isaiah 45:7

Our Savior Understands HEBREWS 4:14-16

We do not have a Savior who’s isolated in heaven with no idea what it feels like to have human struggles. No, our Lord left the glories of heaven behind and added humanity to His deity. He temporarily gave up the use of some of His attributes, applying them only as the Father directed Him.

Jesus understands precisely how we feel because He went through the same types of situations we do. Though details of our lives may not match His, the experiences and feelings are alike. Let’s look at several examples of how He identifies with us:

• Misunderstanding: People constantly misunderstood His claims to be the Son of God.
• Rejection: He was unappreciated by the ones He came to love and die for.
• Pressure: Crowds surrounded Him, begging for help and demanding His attention.
• Exhaustion: He experienced all the weakness of humanity.
• Loneliness: At Gethsemane, when He needed human companionship the most, His closest friends fell asleep.
• Temptation: Satan hit Him with every imaginable type of attack and temptation.
• Hatred: Religious leaders despised Him.
• Injustice: Though Jesus lived a sinless life, He died a criminal’s death.
• Pain: He suffered the excruciating pain of scourging and crucifixion.

Whatever you’re going through right now, remember that Jesus knows how you feel and sympathizes with your pain and weakness. He may not remove the anguish or change your situation, but He’ll always give you the grace to resist temptation, endure suffering, and grow in spiritual maturity.

Caring for His Own Sheep

The sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

John 10:4

What is it that provides the infallible evidence that you are a child of God? It is a foolish presumption to answer this by our own judgment; but God’s Word reveals it to us, and we may walk confidently when we have revelation as our guide. We are told concerning our Lord, “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”¹ So if I have received Christ Jesus into my heart, I am a child of God. That reception is described in the same verse as believing in the name of Jesus Christ.

If, then, I believe on Jesus Christ’s name—that is, simply from my heart entrust myself to the crucified but now exalted Redeemer—I am a member of the family of the Most High. Whatever else I may not have, if I have this, I have the privilege of becoming a child of God. The Lord Jesus puts it in another way: “The sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

Here is the matter in a nutshell. Christ appears as a shepherd to His own sheep, not to others. As soon as He appears, His own sheep perceive Him—they trust Him, they are prepared to follow Him. He knows them, and they know Him; there is a mutual knowledge—there is a constant connection between them. And so the evidence, the infallible mark of regeneration and adoption, is a hearty faith in the appointed Redeemer. Reader, are you in doubt, are you uncertain about whether you are one of God’s children? Then do not let an hour pass until you have said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart.”² Do not linger here, I warn you! If you must linger anywhere, let it be about some secondary matter—your health, if you wish, or the title deeds of your home. But about your soul, your never-dying soul and its eternal destiny, I urge you to be in earnest. Make certain of this eternal issue.

¹John 1:12 ²Psalm 139:23

A Necessary but Challenging Lesson PSALM 27:14

There are many lessons for us to learn in God’s School of Obedience. With space for just two, I have chosen principles that aren’t easy. Yesterday, we learned that Christians must trust the Lord. Today, let’s tackle patience: Believers must learn to wait upon Him.

Have you ever wondered why the psalmist coupled the admonition to wait upon God with encouragement to be strong and courageous? The reason is that sometimes delaying is the hardest thing to do.

Modern culture is in such a hurry. Gotta have it now! Gotta do it now! Can’t wait! We’ve been primed to stay in a permanent state of readiness. It takes courage to be still when the world is rushing past. Everything in us hollers, “Go!” while God whispers, “Wait.” But people are quick to act, because they are afraid of missing out on something. Believers who buy into that attitude make a move and then hope God will bless them.

God leaves nothing to chance. He does not place a decision before us with the hope that we’ll make the right choice. That would be irresponsible and out of character. The Father is more than willing to show His children what to do, because He is personally interested in their welfare. But until the Lord makes clear what is the way forward, we’ve got to pause and wait.

Waiting upon God is not passive. It is not lazy. It is not an excuse to be careless. In fact, the opposite is true. Those who pause are seeking His will–which means that they are praying, searching Scripture, perhaps even fasting. And they are still serving the Lord wherever they can.

Fine Clothes

I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.

Ezekiel 16:10

Consider the matchless generosity with which the Lord provides for His people’s apparel. They are arrayed in this way so that the divine skill is seen producing an unrivaled “embroidered cloth,” in which every attribute takes its part and every divine beauty is revealed. There is no art like the art displayed in our salvation, no skillful workmanship like that seen in the righteousness of the saints. Justification has engrossed learned pens in every age of the church and will be the theme of admiration in eternity. In all this splendor there is utility and durability, comparable to our being “shod . . . with fine leather.” This skin covered the tabernacle and formed one of the finest and strongest leathers known.

The righteousness that is of God by faith endures forever, and he who is shod with this divine preparation will walk through the desert in safety. The purity and dignity of our holy vestments are brought out in “fine linen.” When the Lord sanctifies His people, they are clothed as priests in pure white; the snow itself does not excel them. They are in the eyes of men and angels fair to look upon, and even in the Lord’s eyes they are without spot. Meanwhile the royal apparel is delicate and rich as “silk.” No expense is spared, no beauty withheld, no grandeur denied.

What, then? Can we infer nothing from this? Surely there is gratitude to be felt and joy to be expressed. Come, my heart, do not refuse your evening hallelujah! Tune your pipes! Touch your chords!

Strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed
By the Great Sacred Three!
In sweetest harmony of praise
Let all your powers agree.

Learning to Trust and Obey PROVERBS 3:5-6

As a newly saved boy of 12, I didn’t automatically know how to trust and follow God. For more than 60 years, the Lord has been training me in His “School of Obedience.” The most basic principle I learned there is also an essential key to spiritual maturity: Believers must trust God.

People do not obey a God whom they do not trust. In fact, I would say that most rebellion happens when a believer says, “I know what the Lord says, but . . . ” When we hang a “but” at the end of a biblical promise, we’re about to make an excuse to disobey.

The key lesson for trusting the Lord is recognizing His identity. God is the loving Creator and sovereign Ruler of the universe (Ps. 33; Ps. 103:19). His nature prevents Him from making promises that He will not fulfill (Ps. 89:34). And His ancient scriptural statutes apply to modern lives because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8).

Men and women who believe that the Lord is who He claims to be are willing to surrender to Him. They’ll commit to obey Him in all things and then observe the results. (Hint: Obedience = Blessing, whereas Rebellion = Sorrow.) If you need assurance that the trust principle works, take a look at the lives of other believers, including biblical saints like David and Paul.

We cannot follow God on a case-by-case basis. Either we trust and obey or we don’t. The Sovereign of the universe invites us to depend upon Him to direct our path. Since He is in charge anyway, isn’t it better to walk beside Him than to resist His efforts to steer us right?

God’s School of Obedience 1 JOHN 1:3-6

Starting at age five, our children are enrolled in school and given lessons to learn each year. We are students too. At salvation, we became participants in the Lord’s school of obedience. There, we are discovering the necessity of trusting Him and waiting for His direction. We are taught the importance of commitment and learn to search His Word for guidance. God also wants us to learn these lessons:

• Listen attentively to the Spirit’s promptings. Our God does not speak in an audible voice, but He makes Himself heard quite clearly through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said the Spirit is our Helper who will bring to mind Scripture passages we have studied (John 14:26) and show us how they apply.
• Obey the next step. Abraham was called to leave his home and journey to an unknown destination (Gen. 12:1). He obeyed even though the way was unclear to his human mind. We, too, must step out in faith even when we do not know all the details of the itinerary.
• Expect conflict. We can’t live obedient lives without having trouble with the world (John 16:33). Our friends or family may drift away when they realize certain interests of ours have changed. Some may hurl criticism our way or call us unkind names, while others may reject us completely.

Practicing a lifestyle of obedience doesn’t mean we’ll never make mistakes. But it does require diligence if we are to succeed. Obeying the Father was Jesus’ priority and purpose in life, and we should make it ours as well. Which of these lessons do you want to tackle first?