Numbers 5: 39 NLT
Obey his commands instead of following your own desires and going your own ways, as you are prone to do.
I am working on a new series for you, but it will take me a little time to pull it together. In the meantime, I have been going back through some of the Old Testament passages that I noted earlier in the year. Today’s verse sounds a lot like many of the passages we see throughout the Bible, like, for example, Proverb 3: 5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” I am also reminded of the Word of the Day from this week about fishing. When we follow God’s commands, we fare much better than when we go about our own ways. Our harvest is greater, and we have less time invested in the return. That was the lesson of letting the net down on the right side of the boat.
Those fishing disciples didn’t have a revelation about praying before you go fishing. Truthfully, I am still growing into the revelation as well. It’s pretty easy to remember to set goals, write an intention statement and pray before you begin a big project. It is harder on the day-by-day things to remember to check in with the Father.
I always think of two events that galvanized my thinking. They were the 911 attack and the subway attack in London. I recall hearing stories about people who altered their activities on those days and ended up not being in the places where the catastrophe struck. I recall one person got off of the train a stop early and went and got a coffee which was a break in the norm. Some people in the twin towers just “had a feeling” not to go to work that day. There were lots of stories like that. It makes me think that I can have the kind of relationship with the Father where I would check with Him before I begin my day and He could give me His advice. I know Him to be interested in every phase of our lives. He is even interested in the smallest things. If we care about something, then so does He and He will help us.
We need to learn how to train ourselves to follow in His footsteps and obey His commands rather than going our own ways. It begins by checking in with Him in the morning before you are off and running. Once underway, it is hard to stop. The day will catch up with you pretty quickly. Most of us need to be a little less independently minded and more God minded. We are best when we follow His commands and directions. Following Him, obeying His instructions is where life gets easier. Of all the things we do in a day and of all the things we have learned about the Lord, I put this one very high on the list. When we check in with Him routinely and follow His ways rather than our own, we learn about Him and how to work more closely with Him. Getting this step right, then, helps us to get other things in our lives aligned with Him.