It is in our human nature to go against God especially when what He says doesn’t make sense or we don’t understand why He says to do or not to do something. Jesus taught us that obedience is rewarding and better than sacrifice. Everything Jesus did while living on earth was according to His heavenly Father’s will because it was all about His Father’s business. His obedience to His heavenly Father meant more to Him than anything or anyone else in life. Therefore, as children of God, we should expect our obedience to our heavenly Father to be tested as well, just like he did for Noah, Abraham, Job, and many others in the Bible.
There is a lesson I’ve learned concerning obeying God rather than men, and I would like to share it with you. During my first few years in college, I was excited to save some money from my part-time job’s paychecks and used my financial aid money to get a Toyota Camry for $6000. Though it wasn’t a fancy car, it was a blessing. The torture of catching the bus early in the morning and late at night was over for me. Unfortunately, a few years after my graduation, my father sold my car for $600 without my consent because the car had an engine problem. I remember losing all hope of getting another car because I wasn’t working. However, my loving heavenly Father had other plans for me. A few years later, He blessed me with a $15,000 Toyota RAV4 paid in full through a stranger I’d met while staying at a lady’s house and the stranger was the lady’s brother. I offered to help the lady and her son with what they needed help with while I stayed there.
As we all know, with blessings come challenges even though I didn’t expect them then and was unprepared for them. So, a conflict started to arise because his sister, who was also a nurse, wanted to upgrade her car and saw it as an insult that her brother would decide to bless me with a car, and he wouldn’t change his mind about it even when she tried to talk him out of it. However, she didn’t know that this was the Lord’s doing. Hence, because of this blessing, there was constant friction no matter how I tried to behave. Then, I became so afraid of receiving the blessing, of becoming homeless again because of the blessing, which was inevitable, and I also feared not choosing a good quality car for the money I was given to get it. So, I asked God to help me get a good car. The next day, I went to a dealer shop, and they showed me a White Toyota RAV4. Since I knew nothing about buying cars, I said ‘This is a spotless beautiful white car, I have to keep up with it, but I think I can handle it.’ So, I told the dealer man, I would pay the rest of the money the next day to get the car.
Now here comes the test of obedience, that very night, I had a dream, and then in the dream, I saw the dealer man gave me the white car, but it was dirty inside and outside. I was perplexed in the dream because, in waking life, that’s not what I saw. But when I woke up, instead of inquiring from the Lord, I asked the lady what she thought of the dream. This was a foolish act of mine, and it could have cost me my life if it wasn’t for the grace and love of God. So, she told me not to worry about it because it was just a dream, and she promised to go with me that day to get the car. I completely ignored God’s sign though I had asked Him to help me. I went with her opinion instead to please her, besides, I was trying to appease all the commotions that the blessing had caused, so I thought this was the best way to bring peace to the whole situation. We arrived at the dealer shop and drove off in the white car to get it registered even though I strongly felt something was wrong. When we arrived at the DMV, the lady told us she would not register the car because it was severely damaged. She said the car has had multiple accidents and the inner parts of the car are damaged and any other collision with the car would be a total loss. The lady I went to the DMV with still tried to convince me to get the car. Being completely oblivious to her ill intentions towards me, and forgetting what God showed me in the dream, I agreed to get the car anyway. God in His mercy still protected me despite my wrongdoing and stubbornness. As the lady from the DMV proceeded to register the car, the computer itself rejected the car, it wouldn’t approve it. This is when it finally clicked that God was preventing me from getting the car, and I finally realized what God was trying to show me in the dream all along. So, we went back to the dealer man to return the car. When we arrived, he knew what he had done to me and refused to take the car and return the money. I had to go to God and confess, repent, and lament for his grace to change these people’s hearts so they could take the car and return the money. A couple of days later, God answered me through His grace and miraculously made the people agree to take the car back and return the money.
I was able to find a Gold Toyota RAV4 at a different dealer shop a month later, which was approved by God. This is when I finally understood that it is for our good when God said it is better to trust in Him or take refuge in Him than to trust in humans and even princes.
May I suggest, that even though you might be going through a similar situation or a situation that requires you to trust in God’s word when all odds are against you or the outside voices may seem to be louder than what God had said to you, always remember to go with God even if you feel all alone in your decision even if you feel that things don’t make any sense because God can see the hidden things and the hidden matters of the heart. Knowing that men can easily deceive you, but God will never deceive you, leave you nor forsake you, and with Him you can never fail.
I hope this lesson I’ve learned can also help you in your journey.
God bless you!
SCRIPTURES
“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” Psalm 118: 8-9
“God is not a human that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19
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