Obedience

Moments in Matthew . . .

Matthew 1:24 “And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did what the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife.”

Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your word.”

Sometimes obedience requires action, but other times it involves being still and simply surrendering to what God is about to do. In Joseph’s case, there were things that needed to be done. In order to obey God’s message in the dream, Joseph got up and got busy. Think about the phrase took her as his wife. In today’s culture that means: the marriage license, a place to live, a wedding ceremony, pre-marital counseling, opening a joint bank account, registering at Target, planning the honeymoon, and so on . . . God gave Joseph a very specific assignment that involved all kinds of normal, logical and routine responsibilities.

Many times obedience to God is just like that in our lives – very practical. Send a note of encouragement, take a meal to a sick neighbor, share my faith with a co-worker, ask forgiveness for speaking harshly to my child, give generously to the special offering at church . . . 

Compare that to Mary’s assignment – become pregnant with the Son of God. As a virgin, her role was pretty passive. Not much initial action for Mary to take. The Holy Spirit would be doing the work. Mary just needed to be willing.

This surrendering to God at work is a form of obedience too. Have you ever been asked to sit back and cooperate? Sometimes in life, the Father doesn’t really want you to do anything. Rather, He wants you to trust. To be still and know that He indeed is God.

I know plenty of moms praying for prodigals. Many of them are in stages of the journey where there is literally nothing left for them to do. Their soul waits in silence for God only.

I have friends caring for loved ones battling cancer. Treatment options exhausted, they stand immovable on the Rock. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.

One wife in particular comes to mind who remains in a prolonged season of submitting to her  husband even though she struggles to fully agree with the decisions he’s making. In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.

When God gives you a job, get to it. That’s obedience. When He calls you to something so far beyond anything you can possibly do, yield. That’s obedience too.

Lord, give us the grace to respond like Joseph and like Mary; to obey you fully no matter what you ask of us.