Following Jesus (Even When It’s Scary)

By Anna Galeniece

When was the last time you had to obey your parents without them specifying the reason for your obedience? 

Abraham and his family had a nice place in the land of the Chaldeans. Everything was familiar. They had family members and many friends around them. But God asked Abraham to take his family and move to Canaan. He followed God’s instructions without question, even though it was difficult. Abraham obeyed God, who promised to make his descendants into a great nation. And God fulfilled His promise! 

Hundreds of years later, Christ, the Savior, came from heaven to be born in the family of Abraham’s descendants. What a precious privilege to obey God’s voice!

We can learn a similar lesson of obedience from the life of Ellen White.1 The Lord gave her a special assignment at the beginning of her prophetic ministry. She was to visit small groups of believers and provide them with spiritual encouragement.  

Ellen White once went on a long trip in the eastern part of Maine that lasted more than 10 weeks! She visited many places and met with many people. 

Then she arrived at a place called Orrington, where some early Adventists lived. Things were tough for them. The townspeople didn’t understand them and were angry at them. The believers could not worship in church because they had no church! They were not allowed to get together with each other at home either. This made it difficult to feel close to God.

When Ellen arrived there, she had to be very careful. The believers had a special meeting at night so the townspeople wouldn’t find out. Adventists were happy to see God’s messenger! They shared their stories, prayed, and felt encouraged. Oh, what a joy it was! 

Then the Lord intervened! In the middle of their meeting Ellen White received a vision from God. He told her, “Go back home in the morning because your job in this town is done.” She should not delay. 

The believers had received the spiritual help they needed, and God had kept them all safe.

Sometimes we might think we have a better idea of what to do or not because obeying God makes no sense. But God sees the bigger picture! He knows when trouble might be hiding around the corner. When we trust God and listen to Him, He protects us from many dangers.

Ellen White knew how important it was to obey God. She had experienced His guidance and love before. She knew the Bible’s counsel, “It is better to obey God than to offer a sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22, ICB).2 Therefore, Ellen and her companions left Orrington early in the morning, just as God asked them to. They were able to get away from the angry townspeople who were ready to harm them. 

Obeying God is the best thing, and it makes our life enjoyable!

1 Ellen G. White, Manuscript 9, 1859.

2 Scriptures credited to ICB are quoted from the International Children’s Bible, copyright © 1986, 1988, 2008, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.