6 min read When God’s Instructions Don’t Make Sense: Unusual Obedience

By Pastor Mega Philip Mega, author of Unusual Obedience: When God Asks the Unexpected.

There are moments in the life of every believer when God’s instruction collides with human reasoning. The direction feels unclear. The timing seems wrong. The method looks unreasonable. In those moments obedience becomes a crossroads: one path shaped by logic and comfort, the other by faith and surrender. This guide looks at what to do when God’s instructions don’t make sense.

Why does God give instructions that look strange?

God does not always explain Himself before He acts, yet He always remains faithful to His word, His purpose and His glory. When an instruction defies logic, a few purposes are often at work.

• He removes human pride. When an instruction makes sense, success is easily credited to human wisdom. When it looks foolish, the glory belongs to God alone.
• He tests the heart, not the intellect. God is not impressed by how well we understand His plan; He is moved by how fully we trust His character.
• He prepares us for more. Those who learn to obey without full explanation are often entrusted with greater assignments.

God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

1 Corinthians 1:27

Faith and logic: not enemies, but not equals

Logic explains what is visible; faith trusts what God has promised. God is not asking us to abandon wisdom, but to submit our reasoning to His authority. Notice that Scripture does not say to reject understanding, only not to lean on it.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Faith is not the absence of questions. Abraham asked. Moses hesitated. Gideon sought confirmation. The difference is posture: faith asks questions while still willing to obey, while unbelief uses questions as an excuse to delay. Faith says, “I do not fully understand, but I trust You.” Unbelief says, “I will obey once I understand everything.”

Scripture is full of moments where logic offered a reasonable conclusion and faith offered a divine outcome:

• Logic said rain had never fallen. Faith built an ark.
• Logic said armies win with numbers. Faith reduced Gideon’s troops.
• Logic said walls fall by force. Faith marched in silence.

Obedience is relational, not blind

Biblical obedience is not reckless. God does not contradict His Word, His character or His nature. The men and women He asked to do strange things were not strangers to Him; they walked with Him, heard His voice and knew His ways. Their obedience flowed from intimacy, not impulse.

That means discernment matters, because not every unusual idea is a divine instruction. God’s voice brings peace, alignment with Scripture and clarity of purpose, even when the instruction itself is uncomfortable.

Obedience is a pathway to God’s glory

Human ability attracts attention to people; obedience attracts attention to God. That is why He so often chooses obedient people over impressive ones. When walls fall after marching, or seas part after a staff is raised, no one can credit themselves. Be careful of delay, too: partial or delayed obedience often postpones what God wants to reveal.

My glory I will not give to another.

Isaiah 42:8

Count the cost honestly

Scripture is honest that radical obedience costs something. It may cost reputation, comfort, time or something we are holding tightly.

• Reputation. Noah was mocked, and obedience can put you out of step with culture and expectation.
• Comfort and security. Abraham left the familiar; Moses returned to opposition.
• Waiting. Sometimes obedience means continuing faithfully with no visible results.
• Letting go. Abraham released Isaac; the disciples released their livelihoods.

Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.

Luke 9:23

Yet disobedience carries a heavier price. It may preserve comfort for a while, but it forfeits growth, intimacy and purpose. And obedience does not require perfection: God offers grace, correction and restoration when we stumble, though grace is never a permission to avoid obedience.

Seven practical steps for obeying today

1. Pray daily for guidance and strength to obey consistently.
2. Treat small acts as training. Faithfulness in small areas prepares you for greater responsibility.
3. Face challenges with courage, doing what is right even when it is unpopular.
4. Seek wise counsel from mentors, Scripture and godly examples.
5. Trust God’s timing. Results may be delayed, but God honours faithfulness.
6. Reflect regularly and align your choices with God’s Word.
7. Serve others. Obedience often shows through acts of love, mercy and service.

Questions to ask yourself

• Have I dismissed God’s instruction because it didn’t make sense?
• Am I waiting for approval or clarity that God never promised?
• Is my hesitation rooted in wisdom, or in fear?
• What step of obedience have I delayed?
• Who can support and encourage me in obeying?

A prayer

Lord, give me a heart that trusts You even when I do not understand. Help me recognise Your voice, submit my logic to Your wisdom, and obey You without delay. Remove the fear, pride and doubt that hinder me. Teach me to walk by faith and not by sight. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know an instruction is from God and not just my own idea?

God’s voice brings peace, agrees with Scripture and gives clarity of purpose, even when the instruction is uncomfortable. It also comes from a relationship: the people in Scripture who obeyed unusual commands knew God’s ways. Not every unusual idea is a divine instruction, so test it against His Word and seek wise counsel.

Is it wrong to ask God questions before obeying?

No. Abraham, Moses and Gideon all asked questions. Faith asks while remaining willing to obey; unbelief demands full understanding first.

What if God is silent after I obey?

Silence is not absence. It can be trust-building, teaching us to walk by faith rather than by constant reassurance. God often speaks once and expects obedience to follow.

What if I have already delayed or disobeyed?

God is patient and merciful. He offers grace, correction and restoration, and grace is the empowerment to begin obeying now.

This guide draws on chapters 1 to 4 and 22 of Unusual Obedience: When God Asks the Unexpected, which goes on to study Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Gideon, Daniel, Esther, Paul, Joseph and others. Related reading: The Compromise Trap: How Integrity Erodes.

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