Psalm 81:13 “If my people would only listen to me,
    if Israel would only follow my ways!”

Asaph and his descendants wrote some very prophetic Psalms, in the sense of expressing the heart of God. This line certainly does that. God genuinely desires the very best for His people, and He gives us rules and instructions to make that happen. However, in our stupid willfulness we are all too prone to do something else, and it grieves Him. It has long been recognized that sometimes the best way to ensure that someone will try something is to tell them it’s forbidden. That’s the sinful impulse we’ve had ever since the Garden of Eden, and there’s no end to the trouble it gets us into. God made us this way because He wants children, not robots, so obedience is always a choice, and not automatic. However, when we make that choice, the rewards are essentially limitless. As John so clearly pointed out, “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) That comment is in the context of loving God and overcoming by faith, as he says in the next verse. We like the idea of overcoming, but we don’t care for the stipulation of faith, and expressing love by obedience really irks us! It really does come down to faith. As it famously says in Hebrews, “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.” (Hebrews 11:6) We’ve got to believe that God indeed desires the best for us, and believe it enough that we listen to Him obediently. If we do that, we will be blessed indeed!

With my upbringing, I’ve always known what God’s path was, but that didn’t mean I always followed it. My mother had a very pithy expression that certainly applied to me: “Independent as a hog on ice.” I’ve never seen that scenario physically, but my imagination paints a pretty vivid picture! Like Paul, I’ve learned that it hurts to “kick against the goads.” (Acts 26:14) However, as the song says, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.” At this point I desire to hear and obey Him in everything. Occasionally my hearing isn’t accurate, and my obedience is seldom perfect, but I know that God’s heart is as is expressed in this verse, and I am grateful.

Father, thank You for this reminder. As the little song says, help me to “love You more dearly, hear You more clearly, follow You more nearly, day by day.” Thank You. Praise God!