Keeping God's Word leads to answered prayers

by Tina Y. Gerber - McCurley

I am not a genius, or even that smart; I am just an average or normal country girl who loves God and attempts to follow His word. I, like everyone else who is honest, fail daily. God knows this will happen and has accommodated for it as we grow.

It needs to be understood that following God's word is different than receiving information: that is passive and/or just educational. It remains subjective, like when one is listening to their pastor's sermon on Sundays, and I've come to appreciate that. However, acting on that information by doing is obeying; it is active and transformative, which is the core of worship. In James 1:22, the Bible says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. English Standard Version, ESV.

God allows me to feel and metaphorically 'see' (or understand) lessons in life when I pay attention. This particular insight started for me when I got sick in December. Obedience often involves personal struggle and effort. Obedience is not merely following rules but actually responding to God while he teaches. All this is done while he administers his grace, in the loving relationship won by Jesus' sacrifice for us, if we accept it. It has taken me 67 years to realize the journey has only just begun, simply because I have accepted and experience the working of his life eternal now.

Do I always get it right? Absolutely not! Obeying is acting upon, applying and living out the instructions, as one reads in the Bible. It is where faith lives as obedience, and applying truth becomes actions and attitudes. I constantly live in the reminder, the goal of any learning is gaining insight into how to follow what God says, and so, bring honour to His name. I finally get it: additional knowledge is given 'as a result of obedience to present biblical truths.'

I think my obedience has led me towards small things, as I obey God's words. As a result, he has given me more knowledge, and it has a greater impact, revealing more about him.

When the time is right, God will give you what is yours. You have heard the expression, "Stay in your lane?" Don't worry if you're moving slow, like a turtle, while everyone speeds by. Don't stress, as no one else “seems” to struggle with the one thing you struggle with most. Don't compare someone else's success to yours, or even their failures. You are unique, special and different.

We all have gifts, and that is where our best life lives. God views your pace not as a delay, but as a deliberate and purposeful journey. When we move slowly, this allows God to build your character and cultivate a deeper faith. It is about being aligned with His will anyway. In this 'modern' world, life is still not actually designed to be easy, as many feel invisible. Life is a challenging path which requires reliance on the Holy Spirit, built brick by brick, stick by stick, one step at a time, through years of discipline and quiet strength. The word obey is not an order; it's a kind of instruction for freedom, when it's obeying God's word.