Know. Trust. Obey.

Many years ago I had an argument with God.  Ok…I’ve had a few during my lifetime but this one was the argument of arguments.  I’m sure that anyone who saw my frantic pacing in a public parking lot might have thought I was a few bricks short of a full load.  

They would have been correct.    

I was in the middle of an argument with God.  I don’t recommend it because if you are serious about the Truth, you will always lose.  If you hang in there though, you’ll find that in losing there is something to be learned.

At the moment my determination to make Him see my side of things overshadowed His patience to help me see beyond my reasoning.  I paced back and forth, flailing my arms and muttering under my breath telling Him that His way would simply not work.  

I knew what He wanted me to do.

His way would cost too much.  

He interrupted me with peace.

His still small voice came to me in two questions.

“Do you know Who I AM?”

My answer came swiftly, “Yes, Lord!  You are the God of the universe.  The creator of Heaven and Earth!”

“Do you trust Me?”

In an instant memories flooded my stunned mind, “Yes, Lord!  You have saved my life many times.”

And then…the simplicity of what He required buckled the knees of my soul.

“Then, obey Me.”

That parking lot was suddenly a holy place, a sanctuary of grace, mercy and love. There was no longer an argument.  There was confidence that through this impossible challenge He would reveal Himself. It was no longer about me, but entirely about His glory.

I did not hear a voice.  

Angels did not break out of the clouds singing the Hallelujah Chorus. 

It was knowing, trusting and obeying … the silence of submission.

This first step of obedience meant a long, arduous journey requiring many returns in my weariness to those two questions and one conclusion.  And as I knew His presence, His guidance, His wisdom and His love I realized that, yes, I had answered honestly when I said I knew Him. But what I was learning about Who He is as I walked the path He led me on, was far beyond any previous knowledge I thought I had.  

He is I AM. 

By depending on Him, my trust grew exponentially and obedience came easily through love.

2 Peter 1:3 “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.  We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.”

The results of that journey…still in the process…are miraculous.  

Seeking God’s Will in every detail and trusting Him through every moment for His glory. Obeying Him and knowing the freedom of His plan for my life past, present and future.

Psalms 37:5 “Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust Him, and He will help you.”

Luke and I are grateful for our past because we learned about God from the time we were children,  We both grew up in church and our parents were believers in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Because our God is so intimate our stories are the same but different, and even though we married young, we came to know God together, yet separate.

When you grow up as a “second generation Christian” there are still choices to be made.  In our families there are examples of choices made which brought a deep understanding of Who God is, and there are examples of choices made which caused separation.  All of those separating choices were initiated by crisis, temptation, curiosity, rebellion or complacency. 

In some of those examples, all of the above. 

When love that is preached is not the love that is shown, things go sideways in the minds and hearts of young, questioning seekers.  In the home and in the church.  

We tend to equate God’s love with human love, and it is impossible to trust God’s love if we don’t really know Him.

Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.” 

God is found in His Word, in nature, and ultimately in the gift of faith which only comes from Him.  He draws us to Him as we listen to His words.  His Words are truth.

Psalms 138:2 “I praise Your Name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for Your promises are backed by all the honor of Your Name.”

As we know Him through His love and faithfulness and truth, we can trust Him.

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, so He does not lie.  He is not human, so He does not change His mind.  Has He ever spoken and failed to act?  Has He ever promised and not carried it through?”

There is no other source of absolute Truth and there is no other source worthy of our trust.

Psalms 18:30 “God’s way is perfect.  All the Lord’s promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.”

When we know Him and trust Him we have fellowship with God, and in that relationship He requires obedience.  It’s not a suggestion.  In order to know Him fully we must understand that He is just.  Obedience is required for our ultimate good.

1 John 2:4 “If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.”

Job 36:11 “If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed…”

There is a blessing in obedience.  It is because of His great love for us that God has given us guidelines.  We do not have to guess what He requires, but because we are  human we choose our own guidelines and life gets messy.  Even in the messiness, He shows mercy.

When we know and trust His plan to reconcile us all to Himself through Jesus Christ our Savior and our Lord, we receive His gift of faith to believe that what God says He will do. 

He said He would send a Savior.  

He sent Jesus to be the redemption required to walk with God for all eternity.  

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 2:8 “God saved you by His grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”

Know Him through His Word.  Trust Him. Obey Him as He directs you into a deeper, simpler and liberating eternal life with Him.

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