Obedience is the very best way…

So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. – 1 Samuel 15v22

‘O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E, obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.’ This is such a great little children’s’ chorus. ‘Obedience is the very best way, to show that you believe, doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it happily. Action is the key do it immediately and joy you will receive.’

Sometimes the kid’s choruses are so simple and so familiar that we can forget the importance of the truths they teach. If they are good enough for our kids, though, surely they are good enough for us.

‘To obey is better than sacrifice.’ What a great little way to summarise just how important obeying God really is. We can do all the work and sacrifice and labour and service and rituals and routines and efforts that we want, but unless we are obeying Him we are falling short and not really delighting Him.

The problem with obedience is that it requires trust. When our children are little we expect them to obey even if they do not understand. There are things they cannot comprehend. The same is true for us. We cannot understand everything. We are finite. Sometimes, even when we don’t ‘get it,’ we just have to trust and obey.

God delights in our obedience. Do we trust Him enough to obey Him?