I’ve been thinking a lot about obedience lately: what it means, why it’s difficult, and why it’s important.
Let’s begin by looking at the dictionary definition:
obedience, n.
The action or practice of obeying or doing what one is bidden;
the fact or quality of being obedient;
submission to the rule or authority of another.
Oxford English Dictionary
Look closely at that third definition (submission to the rule or authority of another), for it is in this sense that Christians are called to obey God.
Obedience means surrendering your will to Him. It means praying, as Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done.”(Luke 22:42). It means doing what God says, even when you don’t want to. In fact, if God asks you to do something you want to do, then doing it isn’t obedience at all. There is no submission there; no surrendering of the will. Obedience is when you do what you’d rather not, because God told you to.
We find examples of this throughout Scripture. Abraham took Isaac up the mountain to be sacrificed (Genesis 22). Moses confronted Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 4). Gideon reduced his fighting force down to 300 men before a crucial battle (Judges 7). In each case, these men did what they did, not because they wanted to, but because God told them to. They submitted to God’s authority; surrendered their wills to Him. They obeyed.
What makes obedience so difficult?
———-Pride———-
When we understand what obedience is, it’s pretty easy to see why it’s hard to be obedient. We’re rebellious by nature. We hate being told what to do. Our sinful flesh wants to be in charge. If our fallen nature has a motto, it mirrors the last two lines of William Henley’s Invictus: “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.“(emphasis added).
Pride makes obedience nigh impossible. A prideful man does not recognize any authority higher than himself. He will not bend the knee, even to his Creator.
Humility is both prerequisite to, and a demonstration of, obedience. As always, Christ is our perfect example. Jesus humbly did the will of the Father at all times, no matter the cost.
[Jesus] humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8
———-Fear———-
A second obstacle to obedience is fear. You can be humble, recognizing God as the ultimate authority, and still not obey because of fear. Fear comes in many flavors: fear of failure, fear of ridicule, fear of loss, fear of pain, fear of death.
Fear is a paralytic toxin when it comes to obedience. As humility is the antidote to pride, so faith is the antidote to fear. To overcome fear, we must have faith that God is good, that He knows what is best, and that He will give us the strength we need to accomplish what He tells us to do.
The prophet Isaiah spoke often about faith and fear:
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.
Isaiah 2:12
[The LORD] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in [Him], all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him]!
Isaiah 26:3
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:4
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
Bottom line: Obedience requires humility and faith.
Why bother?
Since obedience is so hard, and it involves doing what we don’t want to do, why should we obey? Here are four good reasons:
1) For our protection:
When you tell a small child, “Don’t put your hand on that hot stove,” you do so because you care about the child. You know that if the child disobeys, they will suffer the consequences.
In the same way, many of the commands God has given us are for our own protection. We may not see how disobedience will lead to disaster (just as a child may not fully understand what will happen if they touch the stove), but God does. Obedience can, and often does, keep us from harm.
2) For our development:
When I tell my daughter to clean her room, or to do her chores, I’m not doing it just to throw my weight around. My daughter may think these things are not important, and that I’m being a horrible dictator, but that’s simply not true. I know there are important life-lessons that can only be learned from experience. By doing her chores, she learns about authority, responsibility, discipline, and much more. Doing what I ask of her develops her character in ways she does not understand.
Similarly, when we obey God, we gain valuable experience. We become more like Christ. Obedience strengthens our faith, and builds our character.
3) Out of love:
God’s love for us is clear. He created us, sustains us, and cares for us. Everything we have, and all that we are, comes from Him. He loved us so much that, while we were still sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8).
God wants us to love Him in return, and to do that, we obey. Jesus said: “If you love me, obey my commandments.” (John 14:15).
4) For guidance:
Imagine that I come to you and ask you for directions and we have this conversation:
Me: Hey, do you know how to get to such-and-such? You: Sure. First, head south... Me: Whoa! let me stop you right there. I don't want to go south. I'm headed north. Can you please help me get to such-and-such? You: Yes. Turn around and head south, then... Me: Wait! I just told you ... I'm not going south. Now, please, just tell me how to get to such-and-such!
If I refuse to follow your instructions, you can’t help me, can you?
It’s the same way with God. If you want Him to direct you, you must make sure that you are following the directions you already have. For example, suppose God tells you to go to church (Hebrews 10:25), study your Bible (II Timothy 2:15), and spend time in prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17). If you refuse to do these things, how can you expect God to direct you any further?
Start obeying the commands you know, and God will guide you from there.
Take action.
Obedience is not easy. To submit to God’s authority, we have to swallow our pride and overcome our fears, but when we do, blessings come. When we obey, God protects us, develops us, and guides us.
See if you can think of just one command God has given you that you are not following. What’s stopping you? Pride? Fear? Ask God to help you change. Make a commitment to obey that command from here on out. It won’t be easy, but God will bless you if you do.
