The Blessings of
Obedience
By Phil Shaffer
August 30, 2005
Several years ago I awoke early in the morning
wrestling with intense anxiety and pain. My mind focused on a
crumbling marriage, threats to my business and my poor physical
condition caused by years of gradual weight gain. Seeking
emotional relief, I quietly slipped outside into the darkness. I
watched as the first light of day penetrated the night sky,
bringing color and life to the shadowy landscape.
As I observed the beauty of a new dawn, a passage from scripture
came to mind. In that moment I sensed God using his word to tell
me “If I yielded to him,” he would produce ever- increasing
light in my life. He promised to illuminate areas long shrouded
in darkness. He assured me that my home would be filled with
dancing and joy that would flourish in the absence of guilt from
sin, relational strife and selfish attitudes.
Something significant happened to me that morning.
For months I focused only on my pain and on the unfair manner
others had treated me. I medicated my pain in ways that
amplified and prolonged my suffering. Now, in the quiet of the
morning, I allowed God to speak new hope into my heart. While
none of my circumstances changed, a monumental shift occurred in
my soul. Instead of obsessing about my problems, I shifted my
focus to the sovereign, loving God - the solution to my
problems. I dreamed that the freedom and joy I craved might
actually be possible.
I pondered God’s choice of the words “If I yielded
to him”. The wonderful blessings God promised me had a cost. I
could experience an intimate, life-changing relationship with
him only if I responded in obedience. If I yielded to God, he
would bring about abundant blessings. To respond in obedience, I
needed to lay down sin patterns used to soothe my pain or to
bolster my position. I needed to discipline myself to spend time
with him each day, allowing his Word to transform me from
within.
Vinita Hampton Wright said of the importance of
obedience, “We do not like to think that God will bless us only
if we act a certain way because that does not sound like
‘unconditional’ love. But we have overlooked the distinction
between God’s blessing and God’s love. God’s love for us is
steadfast, even as we hurt ourselves and each other. Yet God’s
blessings are conditional; he loves us too much to bless or
reward us for continuing in our destructive lifestyles.”
Dear brother, I strongly encourage you to read and
to savor the awesome “blessings for obedience” God promised you
in Deuteronomy 28. Know that he longs to bless your life beyond
what you can imagine. As you listen to his voice, ask yourself
what promises is God speaking to your heart? What hope is he
stirring deep within your soul? What dark areas of your life
need the healing and light that only God can bring about? Know
that he is forever faithful and that will he keep all of his
promises as you strive to walk in obedience. “All of these
blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the
Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 28:2).
For me, the first important steps on my journey
were ones of surrender. God asked me to step out in faith,
trusting that he would go before me and provide the way for me
to enter into the healing I so desperately craved. Four years
later, I stand in awe at the faithfulness of our God. While I
still need to grow and my marriage is under construction, God
has worked powerfully. He has brought about amazing restoration
to my marriage. Our home is indeed filled with joy. My business
thrives. I even disciplined myself to lose all of that excess
weight. God has brought great light to areas that were very dark
. . . and he continues to do so as I look to him.
Most importantly, I am enjoying the intimate,
life-changing relationship with God that he promised if I obeyed
his commands. The sweetness of my fellowship with him is the
most valuable thing I possess.
I invite you to follow along into a life of
limitless blessings for those who obey him. Yes, obedience is
tough because it demands change . . . something we all resist.
But nothing compares to the promise you have in Christ.
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