Matthew 2:14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.

Something that comes up again and again in the Biblical narrative is the matter of prompt obedience. We have a few examples of the opposite, such as Jonah, but the people God was pleased with didn’t delay in their response to Him. Joseph is a prime example, because when God told him to go ahead and marry Mary, it seems he did the legal paperwork immediately, (Matthew 1:24) and here, he doesn’t wait until morning to get out of Bethlehem with Jesus and Mary. Since God created time, He understands timing better than we do. Like the angel said to Daniel, sometimes what He shows us is for the future, (Daniel 10:14) so we need to be sensitive and not run off without getting full instructions. A friend once felt God was telling him to go to Africa as a missionary, and he dropped everything and went, generating a mountain of problems for a lot of people and ultimately having to return to the US in fairly short order, having accomplished little if anything. His attitude of obedience was commendable, but he lacked wisdom and understanding. Even so, we aren’t to let “prudence” get in the way of our obedience. We need to be fully committed to obedience, but also ask God for wisdom in how to obey. (James 1:5) Heart attitude should be our first priority, and that includes the humility to know that we don’t have all the answers.

This brings to mind one particular event in my life. The first Sunday in January, 1974, my wife and I were in church in Denver, listening to a message by a missionary who had left Vietnam because of the war, and one of us turned to the other and said, “Do you want to sell the trailer and move to Japan?” To this day, neither of us remembers which one spoke to the other, because the Holy Spirit was speaking to us simultaneously. We immediately contacted my parents, who had been offering to pay for a visit, since we had their only grandchildren, and asked whether, instead of round-trip tickets, they could pay for one-way and baggage. Naturally, they were very upset at that idea! (NOT!!!) From there, things moved with amazing speed, and we arrived in Fukuoka on March 1^st, with no loose ends left behind. Had we delayed, my time with my father would have been cut short, since the Lord took him home in May. Obedience carries blessings! I haven’t always been so prompt in my obedience, certainly, and I haven’t always been so sure it was God I was following. My wife and I got  engaged 11 days after our first date, in February, and we were married in May of that same year – 57 years ago. At the time, I can’t say that I was consciously being obedient to God, but I certainly knew what I wanted to do! God has been more than mercifully gracious to me over the years, and I desire to be promptly obedient to Him for as long as He keeps me here – and for eternity after that!

Father, thank You for this reminder. My father also confessed to struggling with procrastination. Help me recognize what You have for me to do at all times, whether it seems trivial or huge, and do it with all the ability You give me, on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!