We have often talked and ministered on the subject of obedience, but that does not make us experts in it ourselves. Obedience is never easy! Often times as children we were told to clean our rooms and we stuff everything under the bed or in a closet and say it is clean. It is only later when we have lost something or need to open the closet that it is more than evident that we did not obey.
Obeying the Lord is like that many times for Christians. The Lord speaks to us or uses His word to guide us into a new “adventure” or experience and we only want to do it half way. We want to drag our feet because a fear comes over us of the UNKNOWN! I can tell you it has not been easy to leave Tecate. Our children grew up here the last nearly 8 years. Our friends are here, our ministry is here, our hearts are here, it is home.
We did not and do not take it lightly that God has called us to something different, a new “adventure” if you will, but it does not make it easy. Many times we want a giant sign in the sky written in the stars or fire that says EXACTLY what God wants us to do. Can I be honest with you and tell you God does not do that very often. 1 Kings 19 is a perfect example of God asking for obedience from Elijah. Elijah was a man of God, a prophet, a man who obeyed, but when he found himself running for his life from Queen Jezebel he hid. And yet God still speaks to him again but not with the giant sign he is expecting.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
When Elijah chose to obey God used him mightily again. When we received the invitation to return to Spain it was just like that whisper that Elijah heard. It was stirring and our hearts at once knew it was time to obey, no matter how hard it might be!
