So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt. (Matt. 2:14)
GROWING UP, whenever my mother told me to do something and I asked why, she responded with what we called “the train reason.” The train reason went something like this: obey immediately instead of asking why because if a train were coming and I needed you to move quickly, asking why could mean the difference between life and death.
While this scenario seemed exaggerated to me as a child, it wouldn’t have seemed too far-fetched to Joseph when the angel told him to flee to Egypt with his family. Joseph didn’t stop and ask why; he didn’t wait for more confirmation. He didn’t talk himself out of it. Joseph knew his Lord’s voice and trusted him in such a way that at a moment’s notice he dropped everything and followed God’s direction.
We too must learn not only to discern our Lord’s voice, but also to cultivate an ability to trust and obey. The human tendency is to ask why, to want to analyze everything before making a move. The heart balks at the idea of risk without weighing the pros and cons. But the Christian cannot afford this luxury. We are at war and must be able to change direction or pace at our Great Commander’s order. The well-being of our marriages, our work, our families—maybe even our very lives—could be at stake.
Ask God for the faith to respond to his voice without a second thought.
Meghan Baker describes herself as a broken person in desperate need of God’s presence every day. She has a beautiful man and young daughter with whom she is blessed to run life’s race.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
