Before Understanding There Was...

            One thing God has been showing me lately is a very powerful truth that is changing the way I respond to God’s guidance. Let’s take a look at three different characters in the Bible who not only understood this truth but also lived it out.

1.  Abram

In Genesis 12, God speaks to Abram saying,

“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

In the very next verse, we see him departing “as the Lord had spoken to him.” No questions asked. No hesitation. Just obedience.

2.  Moses

Exodus 14 tells us the thrilling story of God parting the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape the advancing Egyptian army. However, there’s one little detail we often overlook.

Once Moses received instruction from God about what to do next (verses 15-18), he obeyed. It may have seemed like a weird set of instructions to Moses, and maybe he had doubts if they would actually work out.

Yet he still obeyed.

Notice the order of events in verse 21: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.”

Once Moses did what the Lord asked of him, then the Lord did the miracle.

3.  The Blind Man

Jesus healed many blind people during His earthly ministry, but there’s something a little different about the blind man He healed in Mark 8:22-26.

When Jesus was in Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Him so that heal He could heal him. Verse 23 holds an intriguing (and sometimes convicting) detail: “So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town….”

What’s interesting about this is that the blind man – whom Jesus hadn’t yet healed – took Jesus’ hand and let Him guide him somewhere he was probably unfamiliar with. He didn’t know where this rabbi Who could apparently heal infirmities was leading him.

Yet he followed Jesus anyways.

 

So, what do all three of these men in very different circumstances have in common? What is the important lesson they all applied to their lives?

It was this: obedience came before understanding. Before blessing. Before miracles, breakthrough, and answered prayers.

Abram obeyed God even when he didn’t know where God was leading him. Moses obeyed God’s instruction even though there was no physical reason why he should. The blind man trusted Jesus and took Him by the hand even though he couldn’t yet see anything. And these are just three of many examples of people in the Bible trusting the Lord even when they didn’t understand what He was asking of them.

There will be times in our lives when God will ask us to obey Him without giving us all the answers. I’ve been going through such times lately, and – wow – has it challenged my faith. God has been asking me, “Do you trust me enough to follow Me into the unknown? Do you trust Me to give you the answers you need when you need them, not just the answers you want? Will you take My hand and let Me lead you, trusting that I won’t let you fall or lead you down the wrong path?”

It’s been difficult, but my answer has slowly become a stronger “yes.”

Jesus asks the same questions to you today, friend. Will you answer Him with a “yes”?

Let’s do it together.

-Olivia

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