When you humbly obey God in small things, he delights in it and gives you far more than you could ever imagine!
SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope with a few thoughts from Joni.
JONI: Because when we humble ourselves before him, God always, always gives more than we could possibly ask or imagine. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and that’s so true. We always underestimate the generosity, the favor, the mercy of God. And there’s a good biblical illustration of it. In the Gospel of Luke 17, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, and now, here I’ll pick up the quote: “… as he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ And when he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed.”
Now, this passage is an astounding example of how, when we come to God in humble obedience, He mercifully gives us more than we could ask or imagine. Because let’s look at it one more time. Jesus is approaching a village, okay? And He meets ten men afflicted with leprosy. Following, what, the protocol of the day, these hopeless and diseased men stand at a distance, and they call out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” So, when Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Now, it was actually a very small request that Jesus gave them – go show yourself to a priest, right? Yet even though it was an innocuous request, these ten men nevertheless went. And as they did, they were completely healed. Now here’s the thing, here’s the lesson: those ten diseased men covered with leprosy, they never asked for healing. All they asked for was pity; they just wanted mercy. Perhaps they were expecting a handout of some money or maybe a little food. But their cry was basically, “Please, help us; we humble ourselves before you, and we’re asking for a little pity, please, have mercy on us.” That’s what they did; that’s what they said. They really didn’t ask to be healed.
But when those men humbled themselves and obeyed the Lord’s small, simple instruction, Jesus took note. He was delighted in them simply because they asked for mercy with a humble spirit – mercy, and nothing more. So, when Jesus saw them obeying his what, innocuous command to go show themselves to the priest, the Lord gave them much, much, much more than they ever requested; he gave them much more than they could possibly ask for. They wanted just a little money, but God gave them something money could not buy; Jesus gave them healing and hope, and freedom and release. And here’s the lesson for you and me. When God tells you to do something small, or even something that seems unimportant, just do it! Just humble yourself and obey the Lord in that small, innocuous thing. Because in your act of obedience, God may very well surprise you, giving you much more than you would have ever dared ask of him. He may well give you more than you could hope for or imagine.
So, today, friend, if God is asking you to obey him in a small task, do not overlook it; do not procrastinate; don’t think it’s beneath you. Yield and submit to the Lord, because he just may be waiting to see if you will pay attention to the whispers, the gentle nudgings of his Holy Spirit. For as you do, he’ll surprise you. He’ll delight to pour out his mercy upon you and, like those ten lepers who were healed, He’ll give you more than you could ask for or imagine. It’s a good lesson from Luke chapter 17. For God always delights in giving us things that money can never buy: healing and hope, freedom and release.
© Joni and Friends