The Front Line of Obedience

Sweet Sister, the front line of obedience is the place where there is no other option but for us to fight fiercely. Our front lines could be within the precious walls of a classroom or office as it is for me, or it could be the front lines of war, torment, and disease in a land far from everything we have ever known. 

Whatever front line God has called you to, I pray that you stand firm in courage and strength. I pray that even through your Spiritual battle, God is teaching your heart to rest in the shadow of His wings and trust Him fearlessly in the midst of life’s biggest battles. 

We look at the people standing on the far away front lines with wide eyes and quite frankly, forget that there is a Spiritual battle on this broken land we call our “home.” We are meant to feel crushing compassion and conviction for a hurting world that was meant for fullness and fruitfulness. 

And what I know is this— this, my sweet Sister, is love. Being on the front line means seeing brokenness in its fullest and choosing to love anyway. It is finding hope in the cracks of the sidewalks and not forgetting that they, too, are fighting the soul-crushing battle of sin and death. It means leaving your pride at the door and following the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit no matter how crazy it seems… letting Him lead you in the fearless pursuit of servanthood. I have lived the life of the front line and I have seen God perform miracles… especially within the minds and hearts of my little ones.

The front line is a gift. It means experiencing the rawness of God’s protection and hand of guidance no matter what season He has you in. It means knowing that no matter where God has placed you, there is no room in your soul for fear because you are in fierce pursuit of holiness and fullness. It also means being content even in the face of danger and affliction because you know that God’s faithfulness covers you through every war that is waged within and around you. But if your life is like mine, a ministry within the walls of a classroom or office, it looks a little different. The front lines of the mundane are dangerously convicting. We see at face value our brokenness in its fullest and just pray to the God of the Universe to forgive our reluctant hearts. 

But isn’t there a craving to forgo our mundane for an adventure immersed in the sovereignty of God? Isn’t there a craving deep in our bones to see God as our fierce Defender and Warrior on the field of adventure?

The front line, ultimately, is God’s call to obedience.

God called Jonah to the front line of Nineveh, present day Iraq, to heal the hearts of many. But what was the first thing he did? He ran from God. The story always makes me laugh because we can see so clearly that God wants nothing to do with our shenanigans. God is serious about obedience even when we are not. When Jonah told the people in the boat that he was running from God, they threw him into the water to calm the raging seas. When he landed in the water, the Lord sent a big fish to swallow him. When he was in the belly of the fish, he realized what he had done… isn’t that what happens to us? Don’t we realize the heaviness of obedience when we are caught in the middle of our disobedience? Can’t we see that God’s call to the front line requires sacrificial obedience? That His call to the front line cannot be hindered by human weakness, but rather is made known through His sovereign, and sometimes absurd, ways? 

The ministry God laid at your feet, in the here and now, wherever He has placed you, is just waiting for your obedience. 

The enemy will attack the front liners, so be prepared. But take heart, for He has overcome the world. 

John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.