Sitting at the Priscilla Shirer conference, next to my friend, I wrote on the sheet of paper in my lap. Priscilla was showing us the five P’s of Bible Study and had us practice the technique while we were there.
The verse was 2 Kings 5:13-14.
It talked about how Naaman went to dip in the Jordan. It was a small act of obedience, but when he obeyed, God was faithful.
I kept hearing about how little steps of obedience led to great results.
Oh, I had obeyed.
I had obeyed God and ran into so much opposition, I could write a whole book on how He carried me through that. Maybe I will someday.
But to me, it felt like I obeyed God, and there was the enemy, sending someone my way to try and stop me; Over and over and over.
And as I did this exercise around the 5 P’s of Bible study, All the sudden I saw it.
In just a few weeks I was off to a writer’s conference. My first ever. I knew one person who would be there, but she was a big part of the conference, and would be busy during most of it.
I had requested to meet with an agent and an editor to pitch them the idea for my next book. And I was Scared; Really Scared.
This wasn’t my idea. Again, I was being obedient to the promptings I felt in my spirit. It wasn’t something comfortable for me, in fact, it was totally out of my box.
I had seen the announcement for this writer’s conference, and in my heart of hearts I knew I was supposed to go.
I talked to my husband about it and He said he felt it too. For some reason, this conference was important, and I was supposed to be there.
Obedience had cost me before. It had cost me discouragement and mocking from family members. As I wrote my first book, in obedience to God’s promptings, crisis after crisis hit our family hard. People were talking behind my back, and a leader I trusted failed me in a big way.
There were days I sat in the throes of disappointment and disillusionment. I was tempted to give up on what I knew God had called me to do. I had to decide, would I follow Him even when it looked like the opposite of what He promised was happening?
And now, I was feeling His promptings to obey again.
Go to this conference where you don’t know anybody. Just go.
And so, I signed up.
And that was what God talked to me about while I sat next to my friend, with a paper in my lap, at the Priscilla Shirer conference.
I was obeying Him in going, But I wasn’t trusting Him.
The last P in the five P’s of Bible Study is Plan to Obey, and set a date if possible.
So, I decided that I was going to trust God for this conference. He had called me to do this, and after I went, I was going to write down how He was faithful when I obeyed.
And next week, I will share just how faithful He was.
How Have you Seen God’s Faithfulness when you Obeyed?
