by Rebekah Naylor

A few months ago, the Bangalore Baptist Hospital in India celebrated its 52nd anniversary. As I sat in that service of celebration and commitment, I reflected on the 52 years of my association with the hospital. So many changes had occurred in the country and city, in the hospital, and in my own life. At the conclusion of the service, the staff and students who had gathered lifted candles to say that they will pursue the vision to provide healing and wholeness in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. For the institution and for me, it represented a long obedience in the same direction.

What is obedience? It involves submitting to authority and following commands. The core of obedience lies in following the directives of someone in a position of authority. The greatest example of obedience is seen in our Savior, Jesus. Though He was God, He humbled himself and became a man and was obedient even unto death on the cross. As Christ followers, our obedience is rooted in our personal relationship with Jesus through grace by faith. Jesus said that all authority had been given to Him so we give our entire lives to Him and obey His direction.

I was a small child when I believed in Jesus to save me from my sins and give me eternal life. From that time forward until now the direction of my life has been to serve Him and share the Good News of Jesus with others. The key to pursuing this direction is abiding in Christ through study of His Word and prayer. As a teenager God called me to serve through medical missions and I was privileged to do that. Through all the decades the direction to serve and share has been the same.

My journey took me to India as a missionary surgeon in the Bangalore Baptist Hospital. My roles there included clinician, administrator, teacher, discipler and church planter through 35 years of field service. Surely there were times of challenge: clinical responsibilities beyond the scope of training, jobs for which I was not prepared, conflicts with other workers, visa and license issues, and separation from family. But God’s call sustained me and kept me there, obeying Him day by day. After returning from India to the U.S., I led the healthcare work of our mission board globally, mobilizing those God called to go and developing strategies for church planting through healthcare. No matter the place or the task, the direction remained the same.

Obedience brings great joy. It is my testimony that God keeps every promise. He promised His presence with us always. He promised to show us His plan for our lives if we submit totally to Him, living by faith. No matter the circumstances, if we are obedient to His will for our lives, we will know the peace and joy that He has promised. God’s Spirit in us enables us to obey through a lifetime in the same direction. At the end of His life, Paul said he had fought the good fight and kept the faith and was anticipating the crown of righteousness the Lord would give him.

In the nineteenth century, a hymn writer penned these words: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Indeed, I know this to be true. God wants our obedience. The joy that comes from obedience only grows day by day. This is the way to be happy in Jesus.