Over the last several weeks I have been writing about the subject of reverence and ways we can show God our respect. When you hear the phrase “fear of the Lord” – this means to have reverence for Him. and having reverence for God means that we respect Him. R.T. Kendall said, “What is missing in the church more than anything in the world at the present time is the fear of God and a sense of sin.” I do believe this is true and I believe that is why our world is in a whole lot of trouble right now. We need to turn our hearts back to Him. And one way we need to revere Him is through obedience.

Philippians 2:12 tells us to “…[obey] God with deep reverence and fear.” I find it very telling that when Paul wrote this, he associated obedience with reverence. When we obey the Lord, we are showing Him that we fear Him and respect Him. I understand that sometimes obedience can be scary, especially if God is asking us to take a big step or do something that seems unreasonable. But when we do what He asks, we are proving our devotion. We are telling Him that we are committed to Him.

Obedience is an important aspect of our relationship with God. But it is also a key that will unlock the doors we have been struggling to open. Do you remember the hymn “Trust and Obey?” Obedience and Trust go hand in hand. When we trust God, we obey Him. When we obey God, we will see that He is trustworthy. Trust increases our obedience and obedience increases our trust. It is a beautiful cycle that grows stronger over time.

Obedience also brings us blessings. God has a reason for each thing He asks us to do. With our human eyes, we might not be able to see the big picture. But God always sees the big picture. He sees the beginning and the end. He knows what is best and He works things out for our good. So even when what He asks seems difficult, we have to have faith that He knows what is best.

“Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” – Deuteronomy 5:33

We also obey God out of love. Just think about how much God pours His love, blessings, protection, guidance, comfort, care, and strength over us. How can we not want to honor Him and love Him in return with our obedience? Remember the words that Jesus spoke in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” That statement alone makes me want to show God my reverence, honor, and love through obedience.

I pray we all can turn our hearts towards Him, with proper reverence and respect. I pray we all can learn to wholeheartedly trust and obey Him. Humbling ourselves before God, and clinging to Him through each day, will ultimately bring us a sense of peace. We will know that our lives are in the hands of Almighty God, and that is the safest place to be.

I hope you all have a Happy Easter!

I will leave you with a song: Trust and Obey performed by Big Daddy Weave

Originally posted on bridgetathomas.com © 2021 Bridget A. Thomas