Obedience brings joy to God

And Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

Many people fail to grasp the fact that God is our heavenly Father who delights in His Children’s obedience. We also do not realize that we can break God’s heart by our disobedience. God feels pain and joy just like we do. The Bible says He weeps, laughs, rejoices, and mourns as we do.

Just as the prodigal father looked at the window every day to see if the prodigal son was returning (Luke 15:11-32), God longs for every wayward person to be restored. Obedience is the first step to restoration. It paves the way for us to be realigned with God and be reconnected with Him as we surrender to His will.

In today’s text, the prophet Samuel is scolding King Saul for disobeying God’s instruction by not destroying everything that God told him to destroy. The prophet reminded Saul that God delights in our obedience more than our sacrifices. Simply put, God prefers obedience over Sunday worship, how much money we give to a church, or the many hours we spend in ministry.

We all have the power to bring laughter to God’s heart every day by our obedience. With all the brokenness and the sinfulness that God has to manage every second of every minute of every day, I relish the opportunity to bring some joy to His heart with my obedience.  Zephaniah 3:17, says, "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Wow! I love the idea of God singing loudly over me. Not only does God want to exult over us with loud singing, but He also rejoices over us with gladness. This is the relationship I want to cultivate with God, and the only way to do so is to remain obedient to His will.

As you think about your joy and happiness, think also about how your obedience can bring joy to God. Obedience is indeed better than sacrifice. God does not require much to rejoice and to sing with happiness over us; He just wants us to obey.

Question for Reflection

How can your obedience today bring joy to God?

Prayer- Father, when I am tempted to disobey, please remind me how I am breaking your heart, and how you long to exult over me with loud singing when I obey your instructions.