By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div.
Sunday Devotion and Prayer. April 23, 2023
“Obedience”“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” – Psalm 27:14
“Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.” Obedience takes courage. Obedience to God isn’t easy. I can’t even fathom Jesus’ obedience as He anticipated and endured the cross. It’s a daily choice to swim against the current of the world and the evil in it lurking in it. But the Lord is always greater. He can rescue us from any situation. We are safe in His arms. Pain will find us in this world. Life will knock the breath out of us, but as we lay motionless, gasping for air, we can trust our lives to the Savior who has already won the victory over death. He removes the sting of fear from our lives. We are in His hands until He calls us home.
Looking back, I know God has been, protecting me. The layers of my faith allow me to see His hand in my life more clearly. The payoff of obedience isn’t a pain-free life, but the perspective we attain through it. We can look back on the moments of our lives and know God’s hand was there to keep our backs from completely cracking in half. All the layers of His love grown intentionally in our daily walk of faith flow through the moments we are too weak to get up. He’s there. He knows, sees, and rushes to our aid. Let’s pray for the faith to obey Him, no matter how hard it is or helpless we feel, trusting the layers of His love in our lives.
Heavenly Father,
Though we are not all called to be great leaders like on a public platform, we are called to minister as such in our daily lives, to the people we place in them. Help us to be faithful, obedient stewards of Your work and purpose in our lives, Lord. Though the world may not know us for the caliber of fame as the great leaders of faith You have selected, we hold that caliber of fame in Your eyes. All of us. Thank You for going before us and protecting us as we fall and tumble in this world. Whether by our hand or that of evil in the world, thank You for always being there for us with perfect love, care, compassion, and empathy. Bless our lives with the courage to obey You and leave the consequences to You. Remove all doubt, fear, worry, anxiety, and hesitation from our hearts, so we may follow You. In Your son Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.
