Obedience – The key to your miracle

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (2 Samuel 15: 22 NIV)

 God had commanded King Saul to go and attack the Amalekites and totally destroy them in retaliation for what they had done to the children of Israel (2 Samuel 15:2). Saul was told not to spare any of the inhabitants, not even the animals. He attacked the Amalekites but he spared the king and the best of the sheep, cattle, calves and lambs, everything that was good. God was grieved by the disobedience of Saul and sent Samuel to tell him that because he had rejected the Word of God, God too had rejected him as king of Israel.

There are several examples in the Bible of God giving instructions to His people either directly or through one of His prophets. No matter how ridiculous the instructions were, when obeyed, there was victory. God gave Joshua specific instructions concerning Israel’s capture of Jericho (Joshua 6:2-5). The same God instructed Gideon to reduce the number of his fighting men and told him how he would determine the three hundred that should go with him into battle against the Midianites (Judges 7:2-8). On both occasions, because they followed God’s instructions, they were victorious. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman was healed of his leprosy when he obeyed God’s prophet Elisha and washed seven times in the River Jordan.

In the New Testament, every time Jesus gave instructions which were followed, the person concerned got a miracle. At the wedding in Cana, the servants obeyed and filled the water pots with water just as He instructed and the water turned into wine (John 2:7-10). Again, in John 21:1-7, the Bible tells us that the disciples had gone fishing and caught nothing all night. Jesus, who had been watching from the shore, commanded them to cast their net on the right side and when they did, they caught so much fish that they were unable to haul in the net. Finally, we must not forget that Jesus Himself was obedient to the Father, even unto death (Philippians 2:8).

Has the Lord spoken to you concerning a matter and given you specific instructions? Have you obeyed Him? Remember that God speaks to us in different ways. For example, He speaks to us through His Word. If we are not living according to His Word, we are disobedient and will suffer the consequences. Or like King Saul, are you partially obeying Him? With God, partial obedience is disobedience. If we are to experience God’s favour, blessings, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, we must learn to obey Him.

May we too harken to the words of Mary, the mother of our Lord, to the servants at the wedding in Cana, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Remember, obedience to God is the key to our miracle.

Prayer:

Lord, you desire that your people serve you with all of their heart and all of their soul. You have made it clear in your Word that the reward of obeying you brings blessings and that disobedience brings curses. May our desire be to obey you and be pleasing to you so that we might live a victorious Christian life in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.