Faith Comes by Hearing and Obeying His Word

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." -- Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

This morning in my quiet time, the Lord highlighted Scriptures filled with examples of people who heard the voice of the Lord and obeyed Him. As I reflected on this idea, it occurred to me to ask, where exactly did they learn obedience? I quickly received this reminder from the Word: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6, NKJV).

You may recall Old Testament greats like Noah, the ark builder, (Genesis 6:22, NKJV), and Moses, the great leader of his people who met face to face with the Lord, (see Leviticus). And it is fascinating to read about women from that era, like Ruth, the Moabite woman who left her homeland and honored her mother in law's culture, (Ruth 2:11-13, NKJV), and Hannah, who prayed for a child and when she conceived and gave birth, dedicated him to serve the Lord, (1 Samuel 1:1-20, NKJV). And we know the story of the Virgin Mary who, as a very young girl, obeyed the Word of the Lord delivered to her by the angel, Gabriel, that she would give birth to the Holy One, the Son of God. Mary humbly and obediently answered saying, "May it be to me according to Your Word," (Luke 1:26-38).

Somewhere along the way, these Old Testament greats learned obedience, honor, and respect. We might conclude that they heard the Word from their parents, extended family, and their close circle of believers. Despite tremendous oppression, lack of resources, and cultural challenges to a holy lifestyle, they held fast to their faith in hope of seeing the new Kingdom! We are reminded in Hebrews 10:23, (NKJV), Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful!"

It seems that maintaining a heart of obedience strengthens us and yields perseverance even through difficulty, pain, and extraordinary circumstances. And from that yielded obedient heart, the Lord rewards us with a closer relationship with Him and His amazing favor. In turn, we experience even greater faith and yearn for more from our heavenly Father. And further in Romans 10:17, (NKJV), "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

If we then are obedient to hearing the Word and walking it out on our journey as believers, our lives serve as faith-filled examples to others. And in Romans 10, we see how important our example is to others. Reflect on Romans 10:15, (NKJV): And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"

As women, we have the incredible opportunity to hear from the Lord as He speaks to us through His Word and through other believers. He shows us how to apply the Word, not only to our own lives but also how to walk it out as a model for our family, community, and even the children around us.

Any parent can readily tell you that children watch us and follow and copy what we do, not necessarily what we say. Kids learn speech patterns, study habits, spending methods, driving skills, and relationship styles typically as a result of the styles modeled by adults around them. So, as Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 5:15-17, (NKJV), "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

And even if you are not a parent, the children and youth in your extended family, church, and community are watching you. Maybe you are a retail worker, food server, healthcare worker, carpool mom, Sunday School teacher, school volunteer, friendly neighbor, coach, or a youth leader - Stop and ask yourself, "Am I speaking truth? Leading with integrity? Pointing kids to our heavenly Father? Walking out an obedient lifestyle of faith, even when times get tough?"

We recall the story of Jesus as a youth, at a time when his parents traveled with Him to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. They departed Jerusalem, but Jesus stayed behind. His parents panicked because they traveled an entire day and then realized they did not know where He was. This story, found in Luke 2:41-50, shows us that Jesus was in the synagogue, both learning and asking scholarly questions of the teachers. He told his worried and anxious parents, "I must be about My Father's business." He was listening not only to His earthly parents but clearly hearing from His heavenly Father.

Today is a great day to begin! Let us also as faithful believers embrace the example of Jesus and be about our heavenly Father's business!

Question for Reflection:

1. In what area of life do you need to be more obedient to God? In a quiet moment, ask Him to reveal what that is and take steps to improve that area of weakness.