God has given us minds to reason and much freedom in how we exercise our faith. And all too often we’re passively waiting instead of courageously using what God has already given us. At the same time, God is God and we are not. And our obedience requires us to give him our yes even when we don’t fully understand or agree with his calling for our life.
This plays out everyday in the workplace. Once the boss makes a decision then the expectation is to obey. Of course, there’s a place to make known conscientious objections. But ultimately to maintain employment one must submit to the authority of his boss.
In the same way, we cannot call ourselves disciples of Christ without also submitting to his authority. And being under his authority means we give him our yes without demanding perfect understanding or agreement with his direction for our life. And it’s not our place to evaluate how palatable or politically correct his commands are. Our place is simply to consent to his rule over us.
Like Peter, there might be times in which genuine confusion holds us back – when a current command seems to contradict a previous one. And certainly it’s good to seek clarity in these moments. But this should never be an excuse to place ourselves above God’s commands, as if he is required to make things make sense to us before we obey.
We are formed by recognizing our resistance and still being willing to exercise our yes even before certainty arrives. This allows us to surrender control and discover the goodness of God that comes after our faithful obedience.
What are you saying yes to as a point of faith without waiting on internal clarity or agreement?
