Listen and Obey

I try to read Samuel’s Bible (The Beginner’s Bible) with him every day (we definitely need to be more consistent…), but the other day I was struck with the realization that each chapter falls into one of two categories:

A. The person listened to and obeyed God, or

B. The person did what they wanted to do or did what they thought was right without consulting God.

Yikes.

Are we listening for God’s instruction?

How often do we consult God?

We make plans, spend money, veg out, stay busy, daydream about vacations, and miss out on God’s best for us.

Then they believed [Adonai’s] words,
and they sang his praise.
But soon they forgot his deeds
and wouldn’t wait for his counsel.
In the desert they gave way to insatiable greed;
in the wastelands they put God to the test.
He gave them what they wanted
but sent meagerness into their souls.

Next, they rejected the beautiful land,
they didn’t trust his promise;
and they complained in their tents,
they didn’t obey Adonai.

Psalm 106:12-15, 24

The thing is, we think we know better than God.

We don’t trust that we will like what He has planned for us.

And we don’t wait when we don’t see His way working NOW.

They did not choose the fear of Adonai,
they refused my counsel
and despised my reproof.
So they will bear the consequences of their own way
and be overfilled with their own schemes.
For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them,
and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;
but those who pay attention to me will live securely,
untroubled by fear of misfortune.”

Proverbs 1:29-33

We throw around phrases like “logical” and “rational” and “realistic” when we’re making decisions, as if God’s plan is inferior to our ability to reason.

And it’s not just the big decisions, it’s our day-to-day lives.

Every day of our lives we live in pursuit of our own desires.

We chase after excitement, fun, happiness, entertainment, distractions, perfection, comfort, safety, significance, beauty, things, approval, (and sometimes even service or ministry) instead of seeking God’s way. And in doing so we create more problems for ourselves.

“Those who chase after another god multiply their sorrows…”

Psalm 16:4

We pour our energy and time and money into so many seemingly important but ultimately USELESS things.

But it doesn’t matter how far you’ve gone or how long it’s been since you’ve called out to Him–

If you call out to God, He will answer you.

Many times [God] rescued them,
but they kept making plans to rebel.
Thus they were brought low
by their own wrongdoing.
Still he took pity on their distress
whenever he heard their cry.

Psalm 106:43-44

You just have to listen.

and then obey.

Obey and pay attention to everything I am ordering you to do, so that things will go well with you and with your descendants after you forever, as you do what Adonai sees as good and right.

Deuteronomy 12:28