Have you found yourself not being obedient to God recently? Maybe it was a lack of obedience to God’s word… or you failed to do what you felt the Holy Spirit was leading you to do.
Whatever you failed to do, obeying God all the time is really challenging and something we all struggle with. I know I do.
But you can take heart in knowing your Lord is the God of second chances. Or third, fourth, etc.
He loves you so much and, although it is best to be in obedience to God the first time he speaks to you, you can go back to him and obey now. It’s not too late.
You can turn this around and do what he is calling you to do today. You can find encouragement from the story of Jonah to do this.
What Does It Mean to Be Obedient to God?
To be obedient to the Lord means to do what he wants you to do, no matter what you think or feel. Obedience to Christ involves completely submitting to him, even when you don’t get it or want to.
Being obedient to God is not always comfortable; it doesn’t always feel right or fair. But you should do it out of love for God. You won’t always understand, you just need to obey.
Submit to the Lord as his servant and simply obey him. He knows what is best; he sees it all. You have to blindly trust him.
There are stories on obedience in the Bible, and one of these is Jonah. Jonah shows us what it looks like to obey God after first disobeying him.
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.” (Jonah 3:1-3, ESV)
Jonah just obeyed God. There is no argument—he just does it.
He saw what it looked like to disobey God. Not doing what God wanted him to do was fruitless. Instead, it is best to do the Lord’s will. It’s really the only option.
What is obedience to God? It is doing what the Lord wants you to do without complaining, arguing, etc. It is just doing it.
If you failed to obey God the first time, do as Jonah did, and say yes now and do it. That is the best choice to make. You can turn from your disobedience and obey God now.
How to be Obedient to God
If you are seeking to know how to obey God after disobeying him—maybe because obedience felt too hard or it was something you didn’t want to do—Jonah shows you how.
Being obedient to Christ looks like not running away from the Lord’s command as Jonah did.
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:1-3, ESV)
Jonah was trying to get away from the presence of the Lord. This is not something you should do.
Being obedient to God is facing God and doing what he wants you to do. Obeying Christ is choosing not to run away. It is embracing his command; your job is to be his faithful servant.
Yes, you can express your deepest feelings to God, as God wants to hear your heart always, but you must trust him and do what he commands, no matter what you feel or think.
This is being obedient to God: listening to him when he speaks, or reading what he says in the Bible, and then doing it.
Being Obedient to God
Being obedient to God the first time he asks you to do something is God’s desire for us. But even if you failed to obey him the first time like Jonah did, you can still answer this divine invitation from the Lord.
But why should we obey God? And why is it important to obey God? Understanding the answers to these questions can help you.
The benefits of being obedient to God are so vast. Jonah’s yes to God, despite him not wanting to do it, shows us some of those benefits. It also answers these two questions to allow you to obey.
Below, you will read about some of the benefits to Jonah’s “yes” that you can experience in your “yes” to God’s invitation.
These “being obedient to God” scriptures can provide encouragement for you to obey as well. You can obey God today, even if you didn’t answer the call the first time.
He has great things for you. Whatever he wants you to do will yield great fruit for his kingdom, as we see with Jonah.
He loves you so much. There is no better time than now to obey him.
1. People Coming to Faith in God
Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh to bring its people God’s words, as he didn’t think they deserved God’s mercy. But he did eventually and they believed God.
“And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.” (Jonah 3:5, ESV)
Your obedience to God can do the same thing for others. Maybe God is asking you to talk to a coworker or family member about him that you don’t want to because it is uncomfortable… but you never know what fruit your being obedient to God can lead to.
God does great things through your obedience to him. Even if you chicken out the first time, try again. Don’t stop seeking to obey God. You can do it. The Holy Spirit will help you.
Remember what happened when Jonah obeyed. They believed.
2. People Altering Their Behavior for God
As a result of Jonah being obedient to God, the people changed; this showed they believed what Jonah said from God.
“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10, ESV)
They “turned from their evil way.” This is so significant. Your obedience to God can do the same for others. It can help others turn from their bad ways to God.
You never know how God can use you. You never know how someone can be affected when God calls you to speak to them, to share your testimony, etc. This can help someone draw closer to Christ and allow them to change.
Obey God in big and small ways. You don’t know what he will do with it. Our job is to just obey.
What is obedience in the Bible? It is doing what God wants you to do, no matter what. It’s not always easy and we may not always want to at first, like Jonah, but we can also see how it yields so much fruit.
Being obedient to God is so important, and obeying the first time is the best, but also remember if you fail that God is the God of many chances. You can obey today if you’ve disobeyed. It’s not too late. Allow the Holy Spirit to help you.
Timmer, Daniel C, David G Firth, and Tremper Longman. Obadiah, Jonah and Micah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021.
