A couple of years following the sudden and unexpected exodus from my former life, I felt ready to return to the dating scene. Rather, I did not exactly WANT to date, since I had not done so in over thirty years, but I was looking forward to finally meeting that special someone, hopefully a man who I could happily spend the remainder of my life with. Although I was once again working as a public health nurse and had family and friends in my life, I was very lonely. Having endured so much heartbreak the first time round, I was determined to do things differently this time. I had not done such a great job in choosing my first husband, so I prayed to God, asking Him to bring the right person into my path. I asked Him to send me a man who was handsome, funny, bright, faithful, loving and kind; most importantly, he had to be a true Christian. My faith was all important to me, and I knew that I needed a person who would always choose to put God first and foremost in his own life.
Despite some initial delays before our first meeting, God eventually put me in touch with Paul, who met all of my criteria for a good mate; but most importantly, he was a lifelong Christian with a very strong faith and belief in God. During one of our earlier dates, Paul told me emphatically that: “Obedience brings the blessing.” He had been through a lot in his own life and had renewed his faith in God while still living in Dallas, Texas. After emerging from the other side of a terrible health crisis, he returned to church following an absence of many years, was baptized, and rededicated his life to Christ. When he returned to Canada in 2010, he started his life over in Ontario, after being away for almost 25 years. He depended on God for almost everything.
I myself, had learned the hard way how important it was to depend totally upon God; I knew I needed to trust and obey Him in all things, but I had never before heard the expression: “Obedience brings the blessing.” In the Bible, there are many passages about how God wants us to obey His commandments and to listen to what He is telling us. Psalm 128:1-4 states: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.”
Peace, prosperity, a long life, and a generational blessing are only some of the many things promised to us when we obey His word. Everything goes so much better when we learn how to hear what God is saying to us and to follow through on what He wants for us in our lives. After all, God loves us and wants to give us the desires of our heart, and if we also love Him, we will WANT to please Him. Hebrews 11:6 states: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Both Noah and Abraham are wonderful examples of men who followed the will of God in complete faith. But in the end, we are always offered free choice. When we make bad choices, there are always consequences to our actions, and often, they are not pretty. Sometimes, our deeds will follow us for many, many years until our spiritual eyes are opened, and we change course for the better. That happened to me in my first marriage.
God speaks to us in many different ways, but primarily we hear His voice through our conscience and intuition, when we read and study the Bible, and spend precious time with Him in prayer. Sometimes, other people will give us a word from God (this has happened to me a few times), or a pastor will speak prophetically through a sermon; we may even see God in nature, a dream or a vision. We have to be very careful that we know the message is indeed coming from God and not from Satan, who is very deceitful and likes to fool us in an attempt to ruin our lives. We also have to watch out for bad advice or misinformation, coming from well-meaning family and friends, or even our own misguided ideas. Common sense and prayer should always be important factors in all of our decision-making.
As a born-again believer, I most often hear from God in my spirit, through the Holy Spirit, who lives in me and speaks to me through the still, small voice in my mind and heart. Only once, did I audibly hear the voice of God, when He told me to go to the front of our church for the altar call. At thirteen years of age, I trusted and obeyed His command, and I have never regretted it even once, since then. I cannot imagine how I would have survived this long, had I not listened to and obeyed His call upon my life that day. He has literally saved my life on more than one occasion, and I know that when I leave this world for the next, I will go straight up into Heaven to spend eternity with Him. God’s promises are always true. The 23 Psalm ends in this way: ” Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This is my mantra!
Amen.
