In order to be able to obey properly, we first need to know a few things:

1. Who are we obeying?
2. Why should we obey them?
3. How do we obey?

Who do we obey? And why should we obey them? 

We seek to obey our Lord Almighty, the Creator of the universe who loved us so dearly that He gave us salvation through the sacrifice of His own perfect, beloved Son. We seek to obey Him in order to give Him the honour and glory due, as well as to pour out our thanksgiving unto Him for an identity (as His child!) we would have never been able to otherwise obtain.

How do we obey? 

As children, we were told that being obedient to our parents means to behave the way they want us to, and to do what they tell us to, i.e. to do their will for us. We are to do the same as children of God, to behave the way God wants us to, and to do what He wants us to.

So what does God want us to do? What is the will of God for us? 

We recently learnt as part of a sermon series, that the will of God for our lives is stated clearly by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

From this passage, God’s will for us, i.e. what He wants us to do and therefore how we are to obey Him, is in these three fundamental actions:

1. Rejoice – always
2. Pray – without ceasing
3. Give thanks – in all circumstances

For what felt like an eternity of a season recently, I had been seeking God for specific answers to the multitude of the questions I had (and still have) about my future. I want to be obedient to His will, but often feel that I struggle to take action if I don’t know what He wants me to do. Over the months, God has slowly but surely opened my eyes to what His will is for me through His precious, living Word.

To rejoice always

The word ‘joy’ comes up more than two hundred times in the Bible. Interestingly enough, ‘joy’ is often brought up in the context of suffering, rather than only being associated with God’s providence and blessings.

Habakkuk’s affirmation of faith sums it up beautifully:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine;
Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no fruit;
Though there are no sheep in the pen nor cattle in the stalls;
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will take joy in God my Saviour.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength,
He makes my feet like the deer’s feet and enables me to thread on my high hills“

Habakkuk 3: 17-19

To pray without ceasing

Prayer doesn’t always have to be with our eyes closed, head bowed, hands clasped together (although this is certainly a good posture to have before our Lord Almighty). God listens to the prayers we utter whilst standing on the commute in the tram, or the hurried whisper of surrender before an interview, just as much as He hears our tear-stained prayers on bended knees. He cares not about big words and coherent sentences, but about the heart that we seek Him with. To ‘pray without ceasing’ is to adopt a lifestyle that never stops being in communion with Him.

To give thanks in all circumstances 

This is perhaps one of the most challenging calls to obedience that God asks for. He does not ask us to give thanks for all our circumstances, but in the midst of our circumstances, including in suffering.

And to all who ask, He gives the wisdom to be able to do this. In James 1:5, it is written that “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given unto you.” James 1:5

Only recently, I learnt what this ‘wisdom’ was specifically for. In the preceding verses, it says to “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Thus the ‘wisdom’ in verse 5, is the wisdom that enables one to ‘face trials with pure joy’.

Even in the midst of deep sorrow, there will always be something to be grateful for – be it freedom of worship, shelter, education, or life itself, to name a few. And the biggest and most important thing of all to be grateful for is that we, an incredibly fallen world, have salvation bought for us at a cost we could never bear, through the blood of Jesus.

Obedience to God may not always mean choosing a specific career, living in a designated place, or even giving a certain amount of our time and money. Sometimes (most of the time) life isn’t quite as clear cut as we would like it to be, and obedience could just be to do these things – to rejoice, pray and give thanks – in the strength He gives us.

I still have no idea what lies ahead, and my path has not been made clear. I still struggle on a daily basis to ‘trust and obey’ – it was much simpler as a child before my heart went astray with the world. But God has never failed to make it clear to me that He is near and He hears my prayers. What He wills us to do in obedience to His name, He will also give us strength to do. In His love and grace, He will enable us to rejoice, pray and give thanks for His glory’s sake.

Abba Father, teach us to obey. Teach us to obey when the storms rise above our heads; teach us to obey when the sun is shining brightly over our lives. Regardless of the circumstances, teach us to obey You because You are worthy. We acknowledge that we can’t do this in our own strength, but we believe that we are empowered by the Spirit You have poured in our hearts through this faith You have given us.  In Jesus’ name, we give You praise and honour, Amen.