God Longs for it to Go Well With Me

Scripture: Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever! Deuteronomy 5:29

Observation: Moses is giving the people the deut nomos, the second giving of the law. After the giving, receiving, and disobeying of the first law, God is gracious to reaffirm the terms of his promise. Here, Moses relates God's reminiscing about that moment. God remembers how the law was given and how the people promised to obey. And he remembers how they feared him with a holy fear. There was genuine honor and respect for God and a desire to follow him and obey.
The Moses relates this one lament of God's, "Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!" while God values their fear, he longs for that t be more than fleeting. God longs for their fear and desire to obey would be permanent. Why? Not so God gets something out of it,but so that it might go well with the people whom he loves. In other words, God's heart is aching for his people to experience e best life has to offer, and he know the only path to that lies in holy fear and obedience.

Application: this is a good reminder for me that God asks for my obedience not because he is on a power trip--my obedience or disobedience does not affect his reign one whit. He asks for my obedience because he longs for life to go well with me. He longs for me to avoid the pain and troubles of wrong paths.
As I consider this, I need to ask, is this my motivation as I call others to obedience? Do I ask for obedience among my kids because I need to control, or because I long for it to go well with them in life? Do I call our church to follow God because it makes me feel better, or because I long for it to go well with them in this life? I need to examine my motives, and make sure my call to obedience in others is matched by a longing for blessing in their lives.

Prayer: God, examine my heart today as I prepare to lead with our staff. I am calling all of us to obedience. May my heart ache for them to experience it going well in their lives. May they hear that longing under the surface of all I say today. Let me lead with strength and grace and patience today. Amen.