Look to the Hand (6/18/14)

A while back there was a brief trend to raise a hand and say, “Talk to the hand.” This indicated that person being addressed was not inclined to pay attention to the speaker. I really disliked this extremely rude statement. When my son was little we had another habit in our home.  We called it, “Look to the hand.”

The other day I was sharing this hand with a friend. The hand was a symbol for true obedience, each finger representing one characteristic. Beginning with the thumb, they were named 1. Yes, mom. 2.  I will obey. 3.  Right away. 4. All the way. 5. In a cheerful way. Without all five fingers you do not have a complete hand. Without all of these five aspects of obedience, we do not have true and complete obedience. 

Whenever one of these facets of obedience was missing, all I did was wiggle the finger that represented the lacking quality.  This eliminated the need to raise my voice to my son. There was no confusion about what required improvement. The needed correction was clear and awaited his response.

Studying the characteristics of obedience to God our Father, I see a similarity. We are children of God and He expects complete obedience from us. The five steps of the ‘obedience hand’ apply to all of us.

“Yes, God.”  We first acknowledge the authority of the Lord. We listen and recognize His voice. Jesus stated, “The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27 AMP) We accept and follow the Word of God and His direction in our life.

“I will obey.” We can trust that God has only our best interest at heart. “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP) Therefore, whatever God asks us to do is for our benefit. Whining or asking God if we have to do what He says is totally inappropriate. Willing obedience is the only proper response.  “I opened my mouth and panted [with eager desire], for I longed for Your commandments.” (Psalm 119:131 AMP)

“Right away.”  When God gives direction for our lives, we should be quick to follow Him.  King David, a man with a heart after God, had this attitude. “I made haste and delayed not to keep Your commandments.” (Psalm 119:60 AMP) We would do well to follow this example. The longer we delay in following God’s direction, the longer we rebel.

“All the way.”  Partial obedience to the Father is disobedience. Our actions are to reflect what God has said and not what we think He should have said. King Saul learned this lesson when he did not totally destroy the Amalekites. (See 1 Samuel 15) He interpreted God’s command in his own way, allowing the king of Amalek to live and not destroying all of the possessions. For this reason, God took the kingdom from Saul’s descendants and passed it on to David. How often do we rationalize that God surely could not have meant what He spoke to us?  We tread on dangerous ground when we do what we think He meant rather than what He actually said, both in Scripture and the personal promptings of the Holy Spirit.

“In a cheerful way.”  God does not wish us to obey simply because we must or we fear He will punish us for disobedience. If we are truly serving God because we love Him, we will obey cheerfully. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV) This applies to all aspects of giving, even of giving our willing obedience.

We can see God’s handiwork throughout Scripture.  His hand represents His power and actions. “When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4 AMP) Amazingly, He cares for us! We are instructed to, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,” (1 Peter 5:6 ESV) Humbling ourselves, we will become truly obedient.

As you go about your day, look to the ‘obedience’ hand and see that all five facets are in place. If any finger is wiggling, respond accordingly. Obey God completely and live life to the fullest.