The Quiet Test of Obedience

The week was finally over. It was a long and intense one, good but long. From onboarding a new clients, managing projects to navigating team schedules it felt so good wrapping up loose ends. I finally exhaled. Everything had somehow come together, just in time. I slept hard and woke up late the next morning feeling so content.

I reached for my phone, intending to read a verse of the day and then unplug. But before I could set the phone down, my heart dropped. A message from a family member—short and casual: “FYI.”What followed was frustrating. Something embarrassing had happened with a client… something I hadn’t even been aware of, and on my day off no less. Worse still, this was a client I had been working with closely, waiting on an invoice from. Now, it felt like my company’s professionalism had been compromised.I reacted. I sent a message back, vented to my family, and let the emotions build. But then my dad said something simple: “You should go pray.”

Truth is, I had prayed, but the situation still felt tangled. So, I went upstairs, changed clothes, threw on my boots, and drove to the overlook. It’s a beautiful mountaintop view of the city that helps me think and pray clearly. I let the rain hit my face as I walked. Finally, I sat down, opened my journal, and flipped my Bible open. It landed on Proverbs 28:20:

“A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.”

That caught me off guard. Hastens to be rich? I hadn’t taken shortcuts. I’d just worked hard. Really hard. I began to wonder—what does haste really mean in this verse? The Hebrew word (אוּץ – Uts) is deeper than just being in a rush. It suggests pressure, urgency, being narrow, even withdrawing. It’s not just about fast money—it’s about a posture of striving, about the internal pressure to get ahead at all costs.Then I looked at “rich” (עָשַׁר – ashar), and it meant more than wealth. It’s about growth, blessing, even leading or guiding.

So the verse wasn’t simply condemning quick schemes. It was confronting the condition of the heart, one that is tempted to rush, strive, and press in search of blessing, rather than remain faithful and surrendered to God's timing.

Known by Him

Jesus warned that not everyone who does great things in His name is known by Him. “I never knew you,” He says to those who performed miracles, drove out demons, and prophesied. Why? Because they weren’t doing the will of the Father. They weren’t obedient. They weren’t in a relationship.

David, with all his failures, was called a man after God’s own heart. It was not because he was perfect, but because he repented, obeyed, and kept returning to the relationship. This is what God desires. Relationship. Obedience. A heart that seeks Him.

Jesus told the story of the wise man who built his house on the rock. The difference wasn’t in who heard the words—it was in who acted on them. This isn’t about performing spiritual checklists. It’s about faith that moves us to live differently. It’s a faith that listens, that obeys, that trusts.

And “will not go unpunished”? That Hebrew root (נָקָה – naqah) didn’t mean God was waiting with wrath. It meant those who live in haste won’t go clean or free. In a way, living that way leaves you bare, cut off, exhausted.

That verse reframed everything.

I realized I had been living in urgency, pressing toward growth, striving to manage everything—my team, my clients, the invoices, the outcomes. But in that striving, had I been withdrawing from trust? Had I exchanged faithfulness for stress masked as productivity?

What if, in trying to give God my best, I was actually holding too tightly to control?

It was an important question and it turned me inward. I realized that rest wasn’t just something I needed physically; it was a spiritual discipline. When life moves a million miles per hour, I can forget to ask for help. I’m an oldest daughter, an entrepreneur, and someone who loves ministry. I’m used to being the one others rely on. It's woven into the fabric of who I am. But maybe, just maybe, this was God releasing me from the need to carry it all.

Letting go isn’t always easy. Sometimes it feels like I’m running on a hamster wheel, pushing my own pace, instead of following God’s timing. And what’s the point of reaching a goal, (whether that’s more clients, projects, or growth) if the end result is just a worn-out life? I love my work. I’m grateful for my team and the clients God has placed in our path. But it’s all worth nothing if I don’t pause to enjoy it. Especially now. Maybe more than ever. Rest gives space to breathe, to reflect, to be. Even this moment—sitting in the courtyard of a beautiful Tennessee coffee shop, writing and processing and letting my thoughts take shape—is a gift.

It’s not about the meeting I missed or the checklist I haven’t finished. It’s about the grace to be present. To sit with God. To share what He’s showing me. To trust that even in the rawness of this writing, His message is coming through. This moment became a deeper reflection on what it means to walk in obedience and faith. So, I began asking women I admire, the Esthers of our time, how they navigate the tension between ambition and obedience. I’ll be sharing their thoughts throughout this series. One reflection that stayed with me came from Savannah Fowler:

“One of the greatest struggles women face today is numbers. Numbers of engagement on a post or blog, numbers of sponsors, supporters, number of emails, or number of sales. God can bless and guide a business or ministry, fulfilling the purposes He has ordained for it—and yet the numbers can remain small. On the other hand, a relentless drive to increase numbers might not be in keeping with how God desires the business or ministry to grow. In our world it is hard to be content with the small, but as believers in Christ we know there are no small tasks, businesses, or ministries. If God elevates our work to applause and acclaim—to Him be all glory!”Her words reminded me that what the world calls "small" may be exactly where God is working most deeply. Obedience isn’t always glamorous. Often, it's quiet, hidden, and surrendered.

I had been asking God for blessing, but He was asking me for trust.

Faith that Acts

I’ve been reading a book lately about the reliability of Scripture, and one quote struck me: “It’s not the knowledge that saves us, and it’s not the ‘faith’ that saves us.”

Just like a skater on thin ice might have great confidence and still fall through, a skater on thick ice with little confidence will still be held up—because it’s the thickness of the ice that matters, not the level of faith.

Our salvation doesn’t come from how much we believe, or how strongly we feel—it comes from what (or who) we place our faith in. It’s the Truth, Jesus Christ, that saves.

And that truth requires more than mental assent. It requires obedience.

James says faith without works is dead. Not because we earn our salvation, but because true belief acts. It’s not enough to say “go in peace” if we don’t help feed and clothe someone. It’s not enough to say “Jesus is Lord” if we won’t actually follow Him. Abraham didn’t just believe God’s promises he acted. He prepared to sacrifice his own son in obedience.

Rahab didn’t just believe in Israel’s God she risked everything to hide the spies. Faith plus works is obedience. Not religious striving. Not a shallow activity. It’s hearing God and responding even when it costs something.

In the End

That quiet morning on the mountaintop started with stress, disappointment, and frustration. But it led me into something deeper. God reminded me: the blessing comes from faithfulness, not haste. And if you’re reading this, perhaps you’ve been in a season of pressing too. Maybe you’re rushing to produce, to prove, to achieve. Maybe you’re longing for breakthrough and worried it’s not coming fast enough. Let me encourage you—don’t exchange obedience for urgency. Don’t chase a version of success that leaves you bare and burnt out.

Seek Him. Be faithful. Let your trust become action—not in striving, but in surrender.

Because Jesus is the Rock. Those who build on Him, act on His words, and walk in relationship are the ones who stand when the storm comes.

Dear Esther, you were born for such a time as this. But you weren’t meant to rush through it.

About The Author:

Bijou McMillion is the Chief Editor and a contributor at AD News. For more Esther posts please visit her blog