Obedience as an act of worship
Worship isn’t just what we sing. It’s how we live.
SCRIPTURE “But Samuel replied, ‘What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.’” — 1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)
It’s possible to sing all the right songs, say all the right things, and still struggle to obey God when He asks us to do something we don’t want to do. I’ve been there. There have been times when I’ve known exactly what God was asking of me, but instead of obeying, I found myself making excuses. Sometimes I wanted more time. Sometimes I wanted more clarity. And sometimes, if I’m being truthful, I just wanted God to lead me in a different direction.
It’s funny how we can ask God to lead us and then hesitate when He does. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul was given clear instructions from God. But instead of following them completely, he decided to do things his own way. When Samuel confronted him, Saul tried to justify his actions by pointing to the sacrifices he intended to offer God. But God wasn’t looking for another sacrifice. He was looking for obedience. And I wonder how often we do the same thing. We offer God our time, our service, our songs, and our prayers, but hold back the very thing He’s asking us to surrender. Maybe it’s forgiving someone who hurt us. Maybe it’s having a difficult conversation, letting go of something we’ve been holding onto, or taking a step of faith when we can’t see what comes next.
Whatever it is, obedience isn’t always convenient. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes it costs us something. And sometimes it requires trusting God when everything inside us wants to do something else. But here’s what I’m learning. Obedience isn’t about getting God to love us more. It’s about responding to the love He’s already shown us.
Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Our obedience is an expression of that love. So the next time we gather to worship, let’s remember that worship doesn’t end when the music stops. It continues in the decisions we make, the words we speak, the way we treat people, and the choices we make when nobody else is watching.Because sometimes the greatest act of worship isn’t lifting our hands during a song. It’s surrendering our will and saying, “Lord, not what I want, but what You want.” And then actually doing it.