Trust and Obey

"David inquired of the Lord"

2 Samuel 5:23

"Christian, if you would know the path of duty, take God for your compass; if you would steer your ship through the dark billows, put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty. Many rocks might be escaped, if we would let our Father take the helm; many shoals or quicksand we might well avoid, if we would leave to His sovereign will to choose and to command...We must mark God's providence leading us; and if providence tarries, tarry until providence comes."

-C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, Feb. 9)

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"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God! Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground!"

-David (Psalm 143:10)

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I'm not an especially talented writer when it comes to sharing what the Lord has been teaching me. I know after I post this, I will think of dozens of verses I could have used, or things I could have said better or differently, but this is a subject that has been on the forefront of my mind this past year, and I just wanted to share it. I'm slowly learning that I'm not the only one to have these struggles, and that it's okay to open up and be honest, and to share how the Lord comes through every time. :) Would heartily welcome any thoughts or comments from any who are learning or have learned the same things! Particularly, though, from any of my older, wiser readers who have been walking with the Lord longer and have more stories of His faithfulness! You never know how God might use a little comment on a little blog to bring encouragement at just the right moment to someone! :)

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Somehow I have a funny feeling that, no matter how old I get, obedience is something God's always going to be working on in me. It probably gets easier as you begin to build up story after story of God's faithfulness, and experience the joy of walking on obedience to the Lord. But it definitely seems to be a process of trusting, obeying, and then finding out that the Lord really is sovereign and knows what He's about.

Although I've had "obedience tests" in the past, it seems that it's a lesson the Lord has really wanted me to "get" this year. Since my graduation about a year and a half ago, there's been the question of how I use this time in my life. Lord willing, I would love to some day get married, have a family, and be a godly stay-at-home wife, mother, and homemaker. Best job in the world, in my opinion! So though that's what I've wanted since I was a little girl, the Lord has reminded me that "obedience is the end", and that I really don't know what He has in store for me, and that I just need to do what He says, without considering whether it lines up with what I think my future is. Similarly, I need to obey His revealed will to me, and not concern myself with things I don't understand yet. It's been said, "Beware reasoning about the Word of God. Obey it."

For example, I've said that I would love to get married some day. And yet, the Lord hasn't led me to college and doesn't want me to play the dating game. *gasp* How will I ever find a husband?!? Oh yeah, I don't have to find a husband! If the Lord wills it, He will bring it about in His good time and in His good ways, without any "help" from me. And I'll be saved from a lot of the heartbreak and hastily formed and broken marriages that I see around me. It's only by the grace of God that He's brought certain people, books, and teachings into my life that have helped me to understand that I need to trust God in this area as much as (and perhaps more than) in any other. It's a hard one to keep my hands off of, I'll admit, but I know, through many testimonies, that it'll be worth it in the future. Elisabeth Elliot's book, "Quest for Love" has been a great encouragement to me, and I plan to read it's prequel "Passion and Purity" soon after.

So even though the things God has me learning right now seem to point to the desires of my heart, I still have to hand those desires and dreams, good as they are, back to Him, and trust Him with them. And I'm excited to see how in the world He's going to do it!! As a child of God, it's a joyful thing, even if I struggle first, to place myself into the hands of a loving Father, who sees and hears and knows all! :)

So though God's helped me trust Him with my future, I've still struggled somewhat with being content where God has me right now. It's so easy for me to compare myself with friends who have found their "niche" and then to feel like I'm not doing anything of much value. But I was reminded the other night that God doesn't "rate" us based on how much it feels like we're doing for Him, or how "spiritual" what we're doing looks, but He DOES care about whether we're walking in obedience to Him and seeking to glorify Him wherever He puts us. Even if it's not exactly what we had in mind or especially want to do in the long run. :) I want so much to be able to say with Paul that "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." (Phil. 4:1)

This wanting to walk in Jesus' steps certainly keeps a person in prayer. "David inquired of the Lord". I never want to make a decision based on what everyone else is doing, especially if it's the way the world is doing it. God calls believers "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9) So it follows that the way I make decisions should probably be a little different than "what's popular" "what's considered 'normal'" or "what makes me stand out the least?!?!" And yes, for a quiet, shy person like myself, it's a temptation! But if I want to glorify God and proclaim "the excellencies of Him who called [me]," my decisions HAVE to have their beginning in prayer and in Scripture, or my decision making won't be any different from the unsaved! Being the temple of the Holy Spirit should and will make us radically different!

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"And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19) Even the grit and grace to trust and obey. "To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." (vs. 20)

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"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13)