Godly Obedience

Have you ever realized it’s the same cycle in our world? John Piper said years ago, “There is nothing new under the sun, only endless repackaging.” It’s a heavy statement once you begin to think deeply on it. Is what we are dealing with nothing new, but something we as a society dealt with 50, 100, or thousands of years ago? I’m reminded of many stories through the Bible that are too similar to be a coincidence. Then again, as a believer, I don’t believe in coincidences. That was more of a saying than something I believe.

In Genesis 19, we read about two cities called Sodom and Gomorrah. They were cities full of extreme wickedness and sin. Lot was in Sodom with his two teenage daughters. Lot moved to Sodom in Genesis 13 to make a good life for himself and his family. He owned a home in a prosperous city, which we read about in Ezekiel 16. Even with all that he gained and built, he barely survived as he fled when God brought catastrophic destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah. This is a man who, while being a saved man, did not consciously like what was going on, but did not flee on his own. God intervened and saved Lot and his two daughters.

Lot is a great depiction of how many of us are today. He wasn’t cheering on the evil. He wasn’t an atheist. He wasn’t one of “the world.” He stayed. The longer he stayed, the more Sodom had its hooks into him. He was comfortable. He was prosperous. He probably even thought, “It’s not that bad.” Lot didn’t choose to leave. God had to drag him out.

I’m reminded of that exact story when I think about all the Godly believers striving to do the right thing and obey God, but still struggling with how tight of a grip the world has on their everyday lives. I get it. I’m the same way in a lot of areas. This world is an evil place and everybody knows it. It wasn’t created for us to suffer like we do, but to flourish and worship the Creator, as we are made in His image. Yet we fight when we don’t have to. We bully others when we disagree, and ad hominem runs freely with no end in sight. We protect those who should be reprimanded, sentenced, or sometimes, executed.

Where has our morality gone, and why does it seem like it is becoming conditional? I worry that the worst is yet to come, but I do not worry like I used to. It grieves me that there are people living without hope. I know friends who are struggling immensely and feel like there is no way out. It seems like suffering just never ceases. This world is not getting better, and we continue to move further and further away from our true purpose, which is for us to worship God and for our lives to glorify Him.

I think God has every right to do as He pleases with our world, as it is only Him that can save it. We need divine intervention. Everything still goes through His hands when it happens on this earth, but you see the exact same thing going on today in the Old Testament. That is why I shared the story earlier of Sodom and Gomorrah.

God will not deliver us from oppression right away. We must repent and turn back to Him. He is a patient God. He deserves our respect and our reverence. He is a loving God and wishes for everyone to turn to Him. Until we repent, He will be patiently waiting for the right time for deliverance, or for someone to deliver us from the evil we see.

We must show obedience to God and to God alone. We are not important! If you read the stories of King David, Esther, and Moses, you see all of them have similarities:

• God allows human freedom, even when it leads to violence.
• God delays intervention.
• God is patient, not passive.
• God chooses to work through obedient people.

At the end of the day, there are two truths that always show up in each story. God is sovereign. Humans are responsible. Continue to show love. Continue to be kind. Continue to share the Gospel even when you are scared and alone. Obey God, and allow Him to handle the consequences. I’m certain that the Creator of the universe can handle that, wouldn’t you agree?