You Don’t Have to Understand the ‘Why’

[You Don’t Have to Understand the ‘Why’]( Current Teaching Series [50 Days of Faith]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [You Don’t Have to Understand the ‘Why’]( By Rick Warren — 09/16/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “I will quickly obey your commands.” Psalm 119:32 (NCV) If there’s ever a time in life you need to hurry, it’s when God tells you to act—even if you don’t understand why. Psalm 119:32 says, “I will quickly obey your commands” (NCV). You don’t need to fully grasp something to benefit from it. I don’t understand how heavy planes fly in the air, but I fly often. I don’t understand how computers work, but I use one all the time. I don’t understand the internal combustion engine, but I’ve driven a car for years. You don’t have to understand something to enjoy it and benefit from it. And you don’t have to understand why God tells you to do something to benefit from your obedience. If you’re a parent, you’ve likely told your child to do something and had them respond, “Why should I do that?” And you may have responded with four little words: “Because I said so.” When you do that, you’re saying much more than those four words. You’re really saying, “I’ve been around a lot longer than you. You’re not old enough to understand, but one day you will. I’m telling you to do this for your own good.” And if anyone has the right and the authority to say, “Because I said so,” it’s God, the omnipotent Creator and Ruler of the universe and our heavenly Father. In the Bible, whenever God gives a command without a specific date on it, he expects immediate action. I’ll give you an example. When our children were growing up, my wife, Kay, would sometimes call the family to dinner at a specific time. When she said, “Come to dinner at 5:30,” it meant we needed to be ready to eat at that time. But if she said, “Come to dinner!” we knew that meant now. Kids like to play all kinds of games to delay their obedience. Sometimes they pretend they don’t hear you. We do this with God all the time. We pretend we can’t hear him, even though he is speaking clearly. Another game is, “Imagine Mom Is Talking to Someone Else”: “You didn’t mean for me to get to dinner at 5:30, did you?” We do the same thing with God when we read a command in the Bible and pretend he’s talking to someone else. But none of these tricks fool God. These delay tactics are a subtle rebellion that question God’s authority or his plan. Faith is obeying God’s command immediately, even when you don’t understand or when you see roadblocks ahead. Step forward in faith, knowing God is motivated by his love for you and that he has your best interest at heart. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What are some delay tactics you’ve tried to use in obeying God?
 - What are some of the consequences that might come up from delayed obedience?
 - Think of some strategies you can employ to better build into your life the habit of immediate obedience. Which one will you start working on today? What will you do when Jesus returns? The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. You can’t earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). 
If you’re ready to commit your life to Jesus, start by praying this prayer: “Dear God, you have promised that if I believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day. “I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [You Don’t Have to Understand the ‘Why’]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the Created to Dream Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Like so many people today, you may find yourself feeling stuck, forgotten, afraid, or just uninspired. But the truth is that God has an incredible dream for your life just waiting to be discovered! And we want to help you find and fulfill it with Pastor Rick’s 6-week video-based Bible study, Created to Dream. Join Pastor Rick as he personally leads you on an exciting journey of discovery and growth that will build your faith and equip you to pursue the unique calling God has just for you. Created to Dream comes as our special thanks for your gift below to reach more people with the hope of Christ through Daily Hope. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 7 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series 50 Days of Faith. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Expecting the Best Message 2: Stretching My Imagination Message 3: Taking the Initiative Message 4: Persisting in Faith Message 5: God's Way of Meeting My Needs Message 6: Following God's Directions Message 7: How to Keep on Believing [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, PO Box 80448, Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688, United States