If Only!

The 5/29 verse of the day is from Deuteronomy 5:29.  The Good News Translation puts it this way, "If only they would always feel this way! If only they would always honor me and obey all my commands, so that everything would go well with them and their descendants forever."

The Israelites were fearful that they could not withstand God's presence and glory if He spoke directly to them again.  Moses is reviewing God's commandments to them and how they wanted Moses to go to God and hear what He had to say and, then, bring it back to them.  The Israelites had seen the greatness of God and thought they would surely die and be consumed by the fire if He spoke directly to them again.  Out of their reverence, awe, and fear of God, the Israelites vowed to listen and to obey anything God told Moses to tell them.  Like a proud father, God was pleased with their reverence.  I think He knew that, right at that moment, they saw His power and knew that He, alone, was God. 

Somewhere in their journey in the desert, God's people lost their way, in more ways than one.  It didn't take long for them to become impatient with God's timetable.  The same God they had vowed to obey, was suddenly not worthy of the reverence they had given Him before.  He wasn't moving fast enough for them and not in the way they expected.  They started to play God, themselves, because they thought they could do a better job at getting themselves out of their situation than God could.  What they failed to realize, is that disobedience will always make a bad situation even worse.  They began to disobey God and go their own way.  It did not go so well for them, if you remember.

The same is true for us.  When we disobey God's best for us, we try to play God.  We forget how Holy He is.  We forget WHO He is.  We just forget.  It does not go too well for us either, when we do this.  When we hear the word "obey" we kind of freak out.  People don't like to be told what to do.  We'd rather make a mess of our lives, by rebelling against God, and His best for us, than simply following His commands.  His only desire, in giving them to us, was to help us know the best way to live, so it would go well for us and our descendants.  You see, God is not into watching us squirm.  I think He'd much rather see us dance with pure joy.

If only we could see that God loves us so much, that He always has our best interests in mind and at heart.  If only we could see that obedience to God takes us out of bondage, instead of imprisoning us.  If only we could stop playing God and let Him be God.  If only we could stop squirming and start dancing.  If only we could see that the pathway to freedom is along a road called obedience.  If only we would take that road less traveled.  Yes, if only!