Biblical Obedience
I wonder what was going through Noah’s mind when God told him to build a huge boat because decades later He was going to make it rain. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t logical. It had never rained before, and now it was going to rain enough to cover the tallest mountain in the world? God was asking Noah to build something that had never been built before, for something that would happen multiple generations in the future.
He was obedient.
And what did God do? He saved Noah and his family because they were faithful.
I wonder what was going through Abraham’s mind when God told him to pack up everything, leave all he knew, and go to an unknown land. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t logical. Abraham was a wealthy man, and he was already well-established in Haran. He worshiped pagan gods. God was asking him to not only leave his family and friends, but also to go someplace he had never even seen nor heard of.
He was obedient.
And what did God do? He made Abraham the father of His chosen people.
I wonder what was going through Joshua’s mind when God told him to march around the city of Jericho, only with trumpets of ram’s horns and no battle equipment. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t logical. Jericho was a well-fortified city, and the Israelites only had trumpets to fight?
He was obedient.
And what did God do? He gave the city of Jericho into the hands of the Israelites.
Six days ago I received an e-mail that was sent to all the girls on my route saying that they needed 10 females to be willing to switch to a different squad (route). When I first read the e-mail, I almost deleted it because I thought: heck. no.
Rewind: When I signed up for the World Race, I specifically signed up for Route 3 (Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda) because it had so many countries where I thought I could see myself being a full-time missionary in the future. All of the other routes included countries in Europe, which I had absolutely no interest in going to. Like not even a little bit.
So like I said, I almost deleted the e-mail because all of the other routes included European countries. When I got off my computer, I couldn't stop thinking about the e-mail. It was constantly on my heart the entire day, and I didn’t know why. Was God calling me on another route? Of course He wasn’t, I had already decided on my route. But you see, that’s not how God works. His plans are not always our plans. Moving on, this e-mail was on my heart the entire day. And when I say the entire day, I mean 24/7-can’t-concentrate-on-anything-else kinda day. I didn’t understand. It wasn’t logical. It didn’t make sense. Why couldn’t God ask someone else on my squad to switch? Why did it have to be me? Even though I couldn’t make sense of it in my head, I knew what God was asking me to do. I finally just broke down and decided to be obedient. Even though I didn’t understand, I made a decision to act in obedience.
I still don’t know why God called me to change routes. What I do know is that He did, and that this decision has already been so full of blessings, words can’t even describe. My current route is now Route 4 of the World Race: Romania, Ukraine, Ireland, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
Obedience. Sometimes, that’s all God asks of us. To be obedient. It might not make sense. It might not be logical. But it is a decision that you personally have to make. God’s plan or yours. Which one are you going to choose?
