Your Nightly Prayer: Evening Prayers for Christian... - Your Quiet Obedience Matters

0:00Life audio. Thank you for tuning in to Your Nightly Prayer, a podcast designed to help you rest and connect with your father in heaven as the day ends. God is ready to meet you in this woman of peace as you settle into sleep. After this short word from our sponsor, we'll encounter tonight's devotional. Your quiet, obedient matters, written by Clarence Haynes Jr. and read by your host, Brooke McLaughlin. Need a daily spark of hope and direction? Let the Daily Bible app from Salem Media be that spark. This free Android app delivers an uplifting verse each morning, plus reading plans, devotions and trusted podcasts from leaders like Joyce Meyer and Rick Warren, prefer to listen instead.

1:00The Daily Bible app reads verses, reading plans, and chapters allowed, handy for the headphones moment of your day. Choose from versions like ESV, NIV, KJV, and more, and bookmark favorites to revisit later. Share inspiring messages with loved ones right from the app. Feel God's presence in every notification. Search for Daily Bible app on Google Play and begin your day with hope, purpose, and peace. Tonight's Scripture. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord. Colossians 3.23. Something to ponder. When I was in college, I took a job delivering newspapers. I realized some of you may have to Google to know what that is. This required me to get up at 3 a.m. to pick up the newspapers and make sure they were delivered by 6 a.m. before people went to work. My route covered the flat-bush section of Brooklyn, and included a mix of private houses

2:03and many apartment buildings. One Sunday morning, I walked into an apartment building, and as I was approaching the elevator, I felt a gentle whisper in my heart, saying, do not take the elevator, use the stairs. I was a little tired, and I didn't feel like walking up four flights of stairs, so I ignored the whisper and got on the elevator. When we reached the fourth floor, the elevator door opened, and I noticed the carriage was not fully aligned with the floor. I took note, got off, and delivered the newspapers. When it came time to go back down, that same warning arose in my heart. Take the elevator, take the stairs. Again, I ignored that prompting, and took the elevator down. Unfortunately, this time, when I got to the first floor, the door would not open, and I was stuck. Not only was it stuck, but it was early Sunday morning, and no one was leaving their

3:06house to go to work. You are probably thinking, why not just take out your cell phone and call for help? I would have gladly done that, but there was just one minor, probably major problem. Cell phones had not been invented yet. So for the next two to three hours, I sat in the elevator waiting for someone to come by so I could ask for help. So much for not listening. Small obedience yields big results. While we often think of obedience in the big things, it's your obedience in the little things that makes the difference. One area where small obedience matters is how we work. Colossians instructs to work at everything you do with all your heart as if you are working for the Lord. However, if we are honest, is this something we always do? Do you listen to that inner voice that challenges you to do your best and convicts you when you know you're not?

4:07Or do you respond as I did? Ignore it and get in the elevator. Here is something amazing about little obedience. We may never know what we would have avoided if we had only obeyed. In my case, I would never have known the elevator would get stuck had I taken the stairs. Yet, if I had obeyed, I would have saved myself the aggravation of being stuck for three hours. You will not always know or see the results of your obedience or what it saved you from. But whether you do or you don't obey anyway, the wonderful thing about obedience is that God does not hold you responsible for the outcome. He holds you accountable only for your actions. You may obey God, work hard, do your best, and still not get the promotion or possibly even lose your job. That's okay. You can hold your head high knowing that in everything you did, you did your very best.

5:08As long as that is true, that is all God requires of us. Your nightly prayer. Lord, thank you for leading and speaking. I pray you would give me an ear to hear when you are asking me to do something. Help me not just to hear, but to obey. As I approach work and life, let me do my best in everything, recognizing I am working for you first. Let me give my best effort, even when I am tired, frustrated, and sometimes unmotivated. Let my simple obedience be the driving force of everything I do, so that I may live in a way that is pleasing to you. Let me continue to obey, even if the consequences don't turn out the way I think they should. Even in these moments, remind me to trust that you will always honor those who obey you. In Jesus' name, amen.

6:09Three things to meditate upon. Number one, your obedience is to God first and everyone else benefits from it. Two, if you have obeyed God, then that's all that matters, regardless of the consequences. And number three, obey God and leave the consequences to him, Charles Stanley. Don tonight's prayer and share how God met you there. Join the your nightly prayer discussion on the crosswalk forum. Thank you for listening to your nightly prayer, a production of the Life Audio Network. If you found comfort and inspiration in tonight's prayer, be sure to follow and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also today, so you never miss a moment of peace and reflection to end your day.

7:12Preying Christian Women The podcast that brings Christian women together to talk about the deep questions about prayer that we're all thinking, but sometimes afraid to ask, Hi, I'm Jamie Hampton, and my podcast partner, Alana Terry and I would absolutely love for you to join us as we discuss what it means to be a woman of prayer in the 21st century. This podcast will be your go-to for biblical encouragement, inspiration, and practical tips to equip you with the tools you need to live out of more passionate, powerful prayer life. Tune in now at lifeaudio.com or your favorite podcasting app.