If you haven’t figured it out, our theme this month for the Shaken & Stirred blog is “obedience”.
Obedience can be such a tough word to hear. For me it brings back memories of feeling like a failure. Throughout my childhood and into young adulthood, I never seemed to measure up to my parents’ standards and expectations. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to get it right. I couldn’t clean my room well enough, wear the right clothes, do well enough in school, choose the right friends . . . you see where this is going. I lived in a world of black and white, but I only had gray crayons if you know what I mean.
I decided to scour the internet to find the definition of obedience. Because, you know, Google knows everything. I found the typical dictionary definition:
“compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. "ie. children were taught to show their parents obedience"’
Sounds a lot like childhood. I decided to keep looking (Imagine that) and I found this explanation:
“Another Greek word for obey in the New Testament means "to trust." According to Holman's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, a succinct definition of biblical obedience is "to hear God's Word and act accordingly.”
I really like this one (Imagine that).
As I thought about this definition and read through Bible passages regarding obedience, God eventually took me back to Sunday night’s Spill’in Tea event. I love God’s timing.
If you weren’t there, Angie Rigsby gave her testimony and talked a bit about Exodus 33 and Moses leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. The more I read the words above, “to hear God’s Word and act accordingly”, the more I thought about the passages in Exodus and our discussion at our table. I thought about how much we are just like Moses, a so-called hero of the faith. But as Jimmy Shaw said in his message Sunday morning;
“...there are no heroes of the faith. There are sinners and there is Jesus. He is our hero of the faith.”
God has been telling Moses to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. He has told this to Moses more than once. He even has to tell Moses to “get going” and then repeats where Moses is to go. I don’t know how much time passes until we get to verse 12 when the scriptures state,
“One day Moses said to the Lord….”
This is where Moses, like a young Mary Swafford, confronts God and begins to question his instructions and point out where he believes God has left out some important details. Then in verse 13;
“if it is true….”
Moses begins to make his own demands and seemingly doubts what God has told him. Another Mary Swafford moment. Like Moses, when I have felt God leading me into something and telling me where to go or what to do, before I “act accordingly”, I start to question God. Once I believe his instruction, I then insert my own demands and doubt mine and His ability to accomplish the task.
Lovingly, just as God does with me, He assures Moses;
“I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest - everything will be fine for you.”
Not only will God go with you wherever He has instructed you, but he will give you rest. Not necessarily the kind that happens on the couch with warm blankets, but a better rest. True rest in our spirit, mind and soul that can only come from God himself.
Again the Lord assures Moses, just as he does me;
“I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
God knows Moses and he knows me and he knows you intimately. He already knows our shortcomings and our giftings. And with all of it, He calls us to Him and to his purpose and his plan. He called Moses
to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land and he calls us to lead others to that same Promised Land. He will indeed go with us when we ask. He will make all of his goodness pass before you. And he will give you rest.
What is God telling you to do today? I pray that you will “hear God's Word and act accordingly” and as you do, may you bask in God’s “glorious presence” Exodus 33:18
Mary Swafford is the founder of Shaken & Stirred, Meals that Matter, Coffee Talk, and a Co-Owner of Boulder Coffee in downtown Sand Springs. She is a wife, a mother of 3 beautiful children, but most importantly a daughter of the most high God. You are likely to find her chugging or serving coffee, sitting in a tattooist’s chair, or making friends out of strangers.
Photo by Krzysztof Kowalik on Unsplash