If your superior were to give you a command to carry out a task that sounded
far-fetched, incredulous, and would subject you to social ridicule and
derision, what would you do? Would you carry out the task?
Well, this was the situation that Noah found himself in when he was
commanded by God to build the ark in a place where floods were non-
existent.
How did Noah respond to God’s command? Well, the bible recorded that
he obeyed God. He invested time, effort, and resources to build the ark. And
of course, the flood came and the rest is history.
For many of us, obeying God can be a tough call. This is so especially if the
obedience would entail sacrifice. In the past, I know of a person who, when
in his 30s, had been enjoying his career when God called him to be a pastor.
He resisted and struggled very hard but eventually, after much prayer, he
obeyed God.
Another example of a person who was obedient to God would be Adoniram
Judson (1788-1850) who went to serve God as a missionary when he was 25
years old. He was accompanied by his wife, Ann. After a series of events,
Judson and Ann found themselves serving in Burma. During his service there,
Judson was imprisoned and tortured but he never gave up. Before his death,
Judson had set up various churches in Burma and had translated the bible
into the Burmese language.
However, the highest and purest example of obedience to God, occurred
more than 2,000 years ago in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus
prayed to his Father saying, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken
from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt 26:39). And subsequently,
knowing his Father’s will, Jesus unflinchingly obeyed his Father and sacrificed
his life on the cross for humanity’s sake. Before his death, Jesus told his
disciples, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15).
As disciples of Jesus, do we keep his commands? Is our heart obedient to
him? Are you struggling with a task that God wants you to do? May God
empower you to obey and do what is pleasing to him.