I don’t know where it came from, but for over thirty years, I have used the phrase, “Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t.” 

There are two distinct concepts in that phrase: understanding and obedience. Understanding is the ability to discern the reasons and purpose for some undertaking. It involves things big and small, along with the ability to perceive or comprehend a matter. People like to have some understanding of life itself. Christians particularly like to have an understanding regarding being guided by the Lord to act in a specific way. Obedience, on the other hand, is the act of submitting oneself to the direction of another person. It involves compliance, the ability to take orders and carry out someone else’s instructions. Obedience is something that is usually taught to people from the earliest age as a child. For example, “Don’t walk on the road,” or “Don’t touch the hot stove or campfire.”

OBEDIENCE, UNDERSTANDING AND FAITH

Let’s look at understanding and obedience in the Bible, as it is important for Christians to see that obedience is linked to faith.

Abraham is known as the father of faith, which involved obedience. In Genesis 12, God said, ‘Get out of your country from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.’ In Hebrews 11:8, it is said of Abraham, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” In other words, Abraham knew that “Understanding could wait, but obedience couldn’t.” And by faith, He obeyed God. 

DISOBEDIENCE, LACK OF UNDERSTANDING, AND NO FAITH 

Now, the key to all is to obey even if you don’t understand. God often requires obedience before our understanding. This was the case of Saul when he disobeyed the direction of the Lord through Samuel.

Just as there is a reward for obedience, there is also a consequence for disobedience. The story of Saul in I Samuel 15 is a classic example of this. Saul was confronted by Samuel, who questioned why Saul had not obeyed the voice of the Lord (v22). Saul had been told to completely destroy the Amalekites but had not done that. Instead, he had spared some of the spoils of the battle. Samuel rebuked him, saying, “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.” Saul’s disobedience ended up costing him his kingship.

MOVE TO AMERICA

Over forty years ago, when I was living in Sydney, Australia, I visited America. While ministering at North Heights Lutheran Church in Minneapolis/St. Paul, I felt the Lord speak a word to me: “Delegate the ministry in Australia and move to America.” At the time, I had no idea what this would involve, as the Lord had not given me any understanding of why I was to move from one country to another. He had given me only a two-fold command of what to do: 1. Delegate the ministry in Australia and 2. Move to America. I had no idea when we were to move or where to live in America. No details, no understanding. Only a command!

Now, I am grateful that God had previously spoken to my wife, Dorothy, about living in America, once involving living under the American flag. When I first received that word, not fully understanding what God was saying, I used to ask, “Does that mean I have to put an American flag on the roof of our home?”

I still remember sitting down with Pastor Jim Spillman at the Sydney airport. We had just arranged a ministry itinerary for him while in Australia, and as we sat there talking, he said, “Alan, here in Australia, you are a big fish in a small pond. If you more to America, you will be a small fish in a big pond. Do you really want to move to America?” He didn’t tell me not to move; rather, he was asking if I was sure. My reply was simple, “All I want to do is to do what the Lord wants me to do.” I still did not have any understanding; all I had was a command to move.

Initially, I did not know where we were to live. Hawaii would be good, as it was between Australia and America. However, I was working with the PTL Club at the time, so being close to Charlotte, NC, was an option.

It was only when Dorothy picked me up at the airport that I felt God speak to me, “Where the call came is where you are to live.” This meant that we were to move to Minnesota and live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

So, in June of 1980, Dorothy and I, along with our two daughters Beth and Joy and Joy’s dog Cindy, left Australia and moved to America. With the help of Morris Vaagness and the people at North Heights Lutheran Church, we set up shop in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul. We learned that “Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t.”

CLOSING THOUGHTS

So there it is: “Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t.” Consequently, in regard to the word from the Lord about moving to America, I learned again the principle of obeying and waiting for understanding. Not everyone in Australia agreed with the decision, however Dorothy and I were in agreement. Besides this, if we hadn’t moved to America, we would have wondered what would have happened if we had.

By the way, the story of what happened when we moved to America is told in an upcoming book, ‘The Best is Yet to Be,’ which will be published later this year.

Don’t wait for understanding before you take a step of faith. Remember, “Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t.”