A man down the street has been diagnosed with two totally different debilitating diseases. His mind is failing incredibly fast and the prognosis is not good. I know him in the sense all small town folks know one another. I’ve been in the shop he used to own downtown, waved when passing on the street, and even tailgated in a large crowd with him once. He’s a friend of a friend, not anyone I’ve ever known well.

I was out walking in the neighborhood the other night and passed by his house. I’ve never been to visit him before but on this night the thought popped into my mind that I should check in on him. Then I realized where this thought originated when the urging continued with the feeling that I should not only check on his physical well-being but also on his spiritual. Rumor is, he doesn’t have much time left.

I did what I always do when the Holy Spirit urges me to do something  outside my comfort zone. I came up with a dozen reasons why I shouldn’t. “It’s getting late. He’s probably tired. What would I say? Would he even know who I am? Would he be offended? How would his girlfriend feel about my visit?”

I’ve lived long enough to learn that you can never rationalize your way out of what the Holy Spirit asks of you. You can argue your point but you’ll never win. You can turn a deaf ear but God always speaks the truth and on this night He stopped me dead in my tracks with one thought. “You are willing to travel to the other side of the world to speak to a stranger about Me, yet you won’t cross the street to speak with a neighbor?”

Well, that did it. “OK Lord, I’ll go, but only if the front door is still open when I pass back by.”

That was a baby step of obedience with preset conditions but God took me up on it. I spent some time walking and praying and then started back down the street past his house. When I saw the front door closed, I was surprised to feel a little disappointment mixed with the relief. Then as I got closer, I realized it only appeared to be closed from the angle I was approaching. There it was……wide open! Not only that , but I could see him standing in the kitchen at the back of the house.

I turned up the driveway and then onto the sidewalk, up the porch and then rang the doorbell. The cat standing inside the glass storm door ran and the dog barked, but no one came to the door. I could see the gentleman standing at the kitchen counter with his arms shaking from his illness so violently that he couldn’t even reach inside the fast food bag in front of him. He managed to make it to the table, sit down, and then ripped the bag down the front to get to its contents. I stood on the porch that night waiting for his girlfriend to come to the door and prayed for him. My heart was broken as I watched him struggle and as I prayed for his soul.

I began to feel uneasy after a bit standing outside looking in so I walked away. Then it hit me. “God, You really are something! You didn’t need me to talk to him. You just wanted to see if I would be obedient, didn’t You?” Just when I thought I had God all figured out, He threw me a curve ball. “No my child. I knew a billion years before you were born what you would do tonight. I wanted YOU to see what you would do tonight.”

Wow! A lesson in obedience if I have ever had one. No wonder God told Saul in 1 Samuel 15:221 Samuel 15:22
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 “Tell me,” Samuel said. “Does the Lord really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him.

WP-Bible plugin “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Obedience is the sacrifice many times. God may very well ask us to do something as an opportunity for us to be obedient. He wants the willing heart more than the actual deed. God was preparing me for a future time of service and growing my faith at the same time.

There is a reason unknown to me why no one came to let me in that night but the results of my willingness have had a profound effect on my. You see, my times of disobedience far, far outnumber the paltry amount of times I have been obedient. But the feeling I had of pleasing my Father grew a desire that night to never be disobedient again. I’ll fail again, I’m sure. But I hope the agony of missing the blessing of obedience will drive me to my knees in repentance. Then I hope I have the courage to stand up and do whatever He asks. I won’t have to do it alone. God never sends us anywhere He isn’t already headed. He just wants us to come alongside Him.