Everything And Exactly As God Has Commanded

Lately, I have been reflecting over the concept of obedience.

The definition can sound a bit challenging, and frankly, confining. It seems like once you reach adulthood, a person should feel unfettered and in charge. Obviously, we have to do many things, and there will be requests and demands made of us, but it should be on my own time, right?

I am in charge and get to decide “when I do and when I don’t.”

I wonder if Noah felt like that -- you know, busy doing life – when the huge request came to him:

“Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat – lower, middle, and upper.

“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

- Genesis 6:14-22 (NLT)

Noah, stop what you are doing and build a boat, not just a canoe, a boat that will hold people, animals, supplies, and resist a life-threatening flood…. Does that make your to-do list seem less daunting?

What must Noah have been feeling in that exact moment. Noah was a faithful servant and loved God – but this task seemed unfathomable, time consuming, and I would imagine he must have felt some trepidation to even proceed.

I kind of picture this would have been my response in that situation: “God, thanks for the confidence in me, but I am quite content tending to my daily life. Perhaps you could ask someone else?”

But that is not how this story goes….

We read in vs 22: So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

The words in this powerful scripture that beautifully highlights obedience to me are everything and exactly. It is not clear the time it took from said request from God, to Noah actually accepting it, but what is clear is his understanding of obedience which prevailed:

When God asks, or there is a need, you do it.

What does that kind of obedience look like today, for you and for me in our hectic, busy lives? How does one choose obedience when it might conflict with their own desires? Meet my friends Matt and Kim Case, who for the last 25 years have served in the Children's Ministry here at the church. Through raising a family, busy careers, and the ups and downs of life, obediently, they served in some capacity every week. When I asked them recently why they were so obedient, Matt paused and thoughtfully responded:  “Even if we felt hesitation at times, if we knew there was a need, we would be there.”

These words lingered in my mind: If there was a need we would be there. That is obedience in the truest form and this kind of obedience inspires me.

This is what prompted my reflection. Am I that kind of a person that will choose obedience if it isn’t my first reaction to a situation, or, will I choose what I want to do first? If I am honest, I have chosen “me” first many times, but I desire to respond more like the Cases do, or like Noah did.

Everything and exactly as God has commanded.

I am not sure if I ruminate more about being obedient, or why I sometimes ignore it. Obedience isn’t a feeling that you wait for; it is an action that will create a feeling. If there is a need, I need to respond to it, even if I feel hesitation. The act of obedience is hearing the Word of God and acting on it. Whether a reminder in scripture, during your prayer time, or hearing an ask to help, if there is a need, we need to surrender our own agenda, Go First, and be obedient.

Friends, the task that is asked of you or I may never be to build an ark.

But the deeper question that needs to be answered is where is your heart when you sense a need? I know the days can seem daunting and you already feel like the asks and expectations are overwhelming – but that is when we need to lean on God. Trust His strength and be obedient to Him.

Pastor Heidi

‍