Obedience is key!

    The story of Noah is a fascinating one (Genesis 6). At the time, the earth is so filled with corruption and violence that God regrets making human beings. Yet, God, in His mercy, is able to recognise at least one man who is walking faithfully with Him - Noah. He decides to destroy every living thing on earth except Noah and his family and two of every kind of living creature. He informs Noah that He is going to send rain on the earth and that he has to build an ark to safely house him and all that would be with him as the floodwaters covered the earth. 
    The interesting thing is that rain had never fallen on the earth before. God had used a mist to cover the earth to water the earth. But Noah trusted God and believed that He would do what had never been done before. Noah had also never built an ark before either but he trusted God’s direction and took on a mammoth task. 
    Noah’s obedience was wrapped up in his faith in God. He believed in God and he trusted Him. He did not expect Him to lie and so obedience to His instructions was not a problem for him.     
    But let’s add a little bit more to that. Imagine Noah building this ark and being asked questions about it by his neighbours and friends. He would have had to tell them the truth and may have even tried to encourage them to escape the judgement to come. They may have laughed at and ridiculed him because what he was doing did not make any sense. Yet, Noah believed in his God and simply obeyed. 
    There are times when God will ask us to do something that makes no sense to others or even to us. However, this is where knowing and trusting the God you serve is important. God will never ask you to do something that is not going to be beneficial to you and even to others in some way. Sometimes the obedience He requires of us is the key that unlocks the answer to the very prayers we have prayed for healing, for deliverance, for help in some area  of our lives. 
    I recall here the story of Namaan, a Syrian general and a leper (2 Kings 5). He goes to the prophet Elijah in Israel, seeking healing from his leprosy. He goes to him for help but Elijah, instead of coming out to meet him, sends a messenger to instruct him to wash in the Jordan river seven times. Namaan feels insulted that Elijah refuses to come out to meet him and on top of that instructs him to wash in the muddy waters of the Jordan river. However, after some encouragement, he obeys and he is healed of leprosy. 
    Had Namaan not obeyed Elijah’s instructions, he would have missed his healing. Sometimes we too may miss our answer to prayer because we refuse to obey God’s instructions. God will not always answer the way we would like, but He does answer and may ask us to do something that makes no sense or even makes us uncomfortable. Yet, obedience to God will always bring much needed blessings. When Noah obeyed, he and his entire family were saved. And when Namaan obeyed, he received the healing he wanted and in turn glorified the God of Israel. 
    What has God asked you to do that seems too difficult to do? God will never ask you to do something that He will not enable you to handle and it will work out for your benefit. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Whatever God requires of you will never be something He won’t enable you to handle. And your choice to obey Him may be the key that unlocks blessings, healing, deliverance, and answered prayer. Just trust Him!

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