The Blessings of Obedience

“Your job is simply to be obedient to God. God will handle everything else.” ~Lysa TerKeurst

These words really get me thinking. As a mantra, they relieve lots of stress from this Type-A girl—but how am I to be obedient? What does it actually mean to be obedient to the Lord?

Lysa’s statement seems profound to me. It’s had me searching Scripture and examining my own obedience. I have a fairly good idea of what being obedient to God’s call means in general terms. However, I’m still struggling to figure out what it is the Lord would have me do, specifically. What’s my calling?

I am not a theologian or a Biblical expert by any means. I can only share what I have personally experienced.

I am pretty much a lifelong Christian. I decided I believed in Jesus during Vacation Bible School when I was eight years old. However, it was years before I searched out an active relationship with God.

So this being obedient, how does it work? Is it just a bunch of churchy talk? That is what I thought for a time. I had no idea what people were talking about when they mentioned obedience. I have since learned that I have a responsibility in my relationship with the Lord. To be obedient to what the Lord has planned for you, you have to be actively seeking God.

I have written before about having a daily “quiet time” (I know, “quiet time” is another churchy term, but it is important.) Your quiet time doesn’t have to be organized a certain way. It just needs to be you and Lord together, spending time. It is as simple as reading the Bible and praying. Wait for that still, small voice in your mind and a sureness of spirit. Does it happen every day, every quiet time? No, but I have found that if you are purposely pursuing God’s will, you will find it eventually.

Again, I am not an expert. I am an imperfect person who just follows Jesus and desires to do his will.

Seek and listen. Study and search. Follow his lead.

In the end, all the churchy terms simply boil down to one thing: you must have faith. And God’s Word tells us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1, NIV).

Once I was having a conversation with friends who were asking about my faith. They wanted to know how I know God is real. We went back and forth a few times, and I quoted some passages from the Bible to try to explain, but the question kept coming back:

“But how do you know?”

Finally, I looked them in the eyes and said, “I just do.”

That is the path to obedience. Make the Lord your first priority, and you will simply know.

Dana Herndon is a writer and blogger as well as an elementary and middle school teacher. She and her husband live in Georgia with their three children. In addition to teaching and writing, Dana loves to read, watch Food Network and HGTV, follow politics, and paddleboard. She blogs at danaherndon.com.