Just yield
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The Hobbs children made me chuckle the other day as they sat in my bedroom recounting memories from their early childhood days. Now that all of them are teenagers (except our youngest, who turns thirteen in March), they seem to get special enjoyment from taking random strolls down memory lane.
Our youngest daughter, Kaiah, held up two pointer fingers and asked me, “Mom, do you remember this?” She proceeded to sing a little song:
Where is pointer?
Where is pointer?
Here I am.
Here I am.
How are you today ma’am?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away.
Run away.
I laughed heartily, fondly recalling singing that whimsical ditty with my two pointer fingers raised in the air. Back then, the children’s eyes would light up. They’d giggle with delight and say, “Again!”
Sometimes, I’d make hand puppets to teach them lessons. It seems silly now. Yet, those priceless interactions stimulated their minds. As a home-schooling mom, I found that simple nursery rhymes and easy-to-read books that use repetitious phrases, assisted the children in their early learning phases.
In life, simple, silly and seemingly nonsensical things often work great for accomplishing purposeful things.
I thought about this today while reading Matthew 3. In this chapter, Jesus came to John the Baptist, His relative, to be baptized. John, who was well-known throughout Israel for his unique ministry, immediately thought, this makes absolutely no sense.
The Bible tells us he even protested. In verse 14, John said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
Put yourself in John’s shoes for a moment. John, who preached about the Messiah, baptized others into repentance so they could flee the wrath of God. So then, he was trying figure out, for what reason would Jesus, a sinless Savior, who was perfect in every way, need to be baptized by him?
“Even when life doesn’t make any sense, believe that God is ordering your steps, and He is leading you down the path of destiny. Your obedience will take you somewhere amazing!”
Well, Jesus told John in verse 15 that this was necessary to “fulfill all righteousness.” In other words, Jesus wanted to do everything God deemed righteous. He was perfectly obedient and holy—what we as humans cannot be. Christ, the sinless One, was our proxy, our stand-in.
The Messiah being baptized shows that, even though He was sinless, He identified with sinners. And when He died on the cross, He hung there in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21). He took on the wrath of God and we took on His righteousness. Jesus switched places with me and you.
Isn’t that awesome?
So even though Jesus’ request seemed crazy in John’s natural mind, it made perfect sense in the mind of God. Friend, just as it was with John, so will it be with you. There will be baffling things in your life that God will ask of you. There will be paths you don’t like or understand that He’ll lead you down. There will be trials you wish to skip over that He’ll allow you to go through. It won’t make sense to your natural mind, but you must have the faith to believe that His will is being done.
As believers, we must all be like John: he obeyed and yielded despite his confusion. By doing so, John set the stage for Jesus’ public coronation. In verse 16, as soon as Jesus was baptized, God made an announcement in the hearing of the crowd gathered at the Jordan River, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
It was divinely confirmed that a new King of a different kind of Kingdom, the Messiah, was in the midst of the people. John’s obedience made it possible for God to be glorified through His son.
You are a part of God’s plan, too. There are ways God wants to use your life to bring glory to His name. So don’t fret because what you see makes no sense. Don’t faint in the day of adversity. Don’t give up because you don’t see the full picture. Don’t walk away because this road is hard. Do what John did and just yield.
When you submit yourself, the Lord will bless you. When you say yes to Him, the full benefits of being adopted into the family of God will show up. He’ll open doors for you to live out your Kingdom purpose. God will elevate you, increase you, favor you, and shower you with His goodness, so that others will see Him through your life.
There are doors He wants to open, ways He desires to make, and blessings He wants to unlock for you. Just yield. That’s it. Stay open to God’s leading. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. Study His word, and do it. Then you’ll see wonderful changes and abundant blessings in your life.
To help you yield to God, I’m stirring Psalm 143:10 NASB into your cup of inspiration, which says, “Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
As you drink the contents of your cup, internalize this prayer. Let God order your steps this year, and watch Him lead you somewhere amazing for the glory of His name.
Now let’s pray.
God, I don’t always understand what You’re up to. Yet, I trust You. In all my ways, I will acknowledge You, knowing that You will direct my path. In times when my flesh cries out against Your will, help me to submit to Your authority in all things, for Your way is the best way forever and always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
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