If you are willing and obedient
Martha Olawale
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19
The journey of a million miles is said to start with the first step, and I agree, but before that first step, something must move you within. It’s easier to train someone willing to try than to force someone reluctant to make a move. They might respond to the lesson grudgingly and take one or two things away from it, but because their heart is not in it, they’ll miss out on a lot more. If I knock on the door of your home, you must first be willing to let me in before you open the door for me. Responding to the sound of the bell ringing does not equate to the willingness to let me in.
God has been teaching me about the power of a willing heart and how He requires it of me to accomplish the assignments He committed in my hands. I’m learning that it’s a great place to start because God can do amazing things with it. To climb the ladder of maturity, I must first be willing so that I can grow in obedience (Isaiah 1:19). I mean, I believe in God, and I know that without Him, I have no life, but am I willing to do exactly what He tells me and go where He leads? Like a child forced to clean his room, I can obey and not be willing.
My journey to this moment of writing this is one of constant tantrums. I say yes to God, but not until after searching for other ways I believe the chapter should be written. When I hit a roadblock, I then reluctantly hand Him the pen to draw the map for me to chart.
From lessons learned, I wait for prompts from the Holy Spirit before I jump on any train, even if it looks good. Although it seemed more sustainable and accessible until recently, I hadn’t received the releases to have other writers write for “Abiding Christian.” Maybe God wanted to grow my credibility in my reliance on Him or something else; I just knew I had to keep moving at the pace He guided me.
In verse 11 of Isaiah 1, God told the Israelites, “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?” Sacrifice does not equal obedience; it’s simply a response. The Israelites seem to know how to obey the ordinances but do so unwillingly, leading them to choose poorly. They believe in God yet constantly go against His will for them. Sacrifices without willing hearts do not move God because He sees through reluctance and carefree attitudes.
Some of my friends started writing articles not bylined by me a few weeks back, and their willingness to accept the challenge is humbling. It was not planned; I had a nudge, reached out to them, and they were just ready to go. They have blessed, encouraged, and strengthened believers they might never meet until we reach Heaven. The effect of their obedience on the lives of many people across the United States is tied to their willingness to allow God to use them on this platform, as He has me.
It doesn’t take your readiness to surrender to God; it takes your willingness to surrender, for you to be ready, because we are perfected in surrender. Like Moses, if you are willing to be the deliverer God called you to be, He will give you the rod to conquer Pharaoh. And like David, if you are willing to be the man/woman whose heart pants after God, He’ll give you mighty companions to fight alongside you.
