“Because I said so.” Almost every young boy or girl has at one time or another had their time of play interrupted by these four intrusive words.
Typically, the asking parent didn’t start off with this phrase, but rather asked for obedience multiple times only to be met with “But Mom…” or “But Dad…” until finally the words erupt like Old Faithful!
I can remember hearing these words come out of my parents’ mouths and thinking how unfair they were being. Didn’t they know that I had an important agenda to accomplish and they were stepping on my 10-year-old freedoms by requiring my obedience? I vowed to NEVER say this phrase to my children. In fact, I would allow a full discussion on the pros and cons concerning each and every situation, and I would not just dismiss them with a “Because I said so.” Of course, we all know how that turned out.
Full and complete obedience on anyone’s part is never easy, especially if we deem that there wasn’t a good reason given for the obedience in the first place. However, when our Father God asks us to obey, we can decisively know that He has a good reason. And as an added bonus, He rewards our obedience with His blessings.
God gave Abraham the command to prepare his son Isaac to be sacrificed. That’s a command that would most certainly receive a “why?” from every single one of us who are parents. Yet, God did have His reason and Abraham was quick to obey. And because he did, God not only spared Isaac’s life, but He also blessed Abraham abundantly saying,
“Because you have obeyed my voice and did not withhold from me your beloved son, I will greatly bless you! The entire world will be blessed through your seed” (see Genesis 22:16-18).
Abraham didn’t obey God for the blessing, but he received it nonetheless. His example reminds us to not only trust in the sovereignty of our great God, but to also trust in His goodness.
Sometimes God wants us to obey just because He said so. And even though it may take a lifetime to realize it, a blessing is sure to follow.
(This article was originally published in LifeWay Women’s Journey Magazine, 2021.)