Articles
Why Follow God - Part 2
Don’t let the title fool you, this isn’t an article about the evidences for God’s existence. This is a follow up to Satan’s accusation against Job, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). Satan argues that Job would only follow God if it was immediately worthwhile. If it wasn’t, then Satan saw no reason for man to follow God. In the previous article, we observed that it is often difficult to follow God. The righteous suffer and are persecuted. Sometimes, like Job, they lose everything. Beyond that, the Bible reveals a God we don’t always agree with or understand. He commands us to do things we don’t like and forbids us from following certain desires. But still, we are called on to trust Him… to follow Him. Why would we do that?
- Because God is God. Your perception, opinions, and approval won’t change that. He created everything. He is eternal. He is all powerful. He is all-knowing. He doesn’t need your approval to be God. Job understood this. This is why Job stunned Satan and worshiped rather than rejecting God. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). Job didn’t understand and he certainly didn’t like what had happened to him. None of that changed who God was and therefore what God deserved. So, Job worshiped. “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
- Because you need God and your need doesn’t change if you stop understanding Him or accepting Him. Isaac’s life was endangered by God but also spared by Him. Ishmael nearly died in the wilderness because of God, but it was God who kept Him alive. It was God who blessed all of them. It was Jesus who ultimately healed that desperate mother’s daughter. Getting upset with God won’t change how much you need Him. The examples listed in the previous article were only partial examples but they prove the point. We could choose to blame God for our desperate situations or we could see that God is the only solution to our overwhelming problems. We all need Him.
- Because you gain nothing by protesting His nature. Walking away from God and refusing to worship Him will not change who He is. It won’t change what has happened to you. It won’t change what you endure. Well, that’s not totally true, is it? Rebelling against God can make an awful situation even worse. Job’s wife said, “Curse God and die.” As much bad stuff as had happened to Job, God had limited Satan. Job was still alive. And as long as we are alive, there is hope (Ecc. 9:4). It actually could have gotten worse for Job. He could have died. Which leads us to the last point.
- Because everyone who does not follow God will regret it. Every knee will bow to Him (Rom. 14:11-12). Some will do so voluntarily and they will eventually be rewarded. Others will rebel against God and only by force will they come to acknowledge Him and worship. These will be punished for their rebellion (II Thes. 1:6-10).
You do not have to understand everything about God in order to trust Him. You do not need to agree with God in order to obey Him. I suspect that everyone of us will be tested in a similar fashion to Job—maybe not to the same degree, but we will have to answer the same basic question. Why do we serve God? Will we only serve Him as long as He makes our lives pleasant and filled with blessings? Or will we continue to serve God even when we do not agree with Him or like what He is doing?
Do not expect it to be easy to follow God. It wasn’t for others. Why should it be for you? But whatever you face, we must prove Satan wrong about us. We must serve God because He is God. Period.
