Who Do You Obey?

I marvel at how many of us just don't want to be told what to do. We really value our independence and we are quite incensed when someone even suggests that we do something different. I have to ask who then do we listen to and is that the case all the time. I found that there is a device that we obey more than anything. No, I'm not talking about our electronic devices. It is something that was invented even before these handheld, time consuming, attention getting devices. It is the traffic light.

All over the US and I would venture to say over a good part of the world, if you drive, you are ruled by three lights hanging on a pole. If the light is green we go. If it is yellow, we proceed with caution and if its red we stop. We do this all day, every day, all day long. I find that truly amazing that a patented idea by an African-American inventor, Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. (March 4, 1877 – July 27, 1963), who was a businessman and community leader and whose most notable invention was a three-position traffic signal rules the "world" if you drive. The first American-made automobiles were introduced to consumers just before the turn of the twentieth century, and pedestrians, bicycles, animal-drawn wagons and motor vehicles all had to share the same roads. To deal with the growing problem of traffic accidents, a number of different versions of traffic signaling devices began to be developed simultaneously, starting around 1913. Morgan had witnessed a serious accident at an intersection, and he filed a patent for a traffic control device having a third "warning" position in 1922.

I find that even though most people do obey traffic lights, I still must exercise a great deal of faith to believe that everyone does. There are many who do not for various reasons, e.g., running from the law, medical emergencies, inattentiveness, arrogance, etc. If you happen to be in their path, the results can be life changing or in some cases fatal. Therefore, even though I obey the rules of the land imposed on me through the traffic light, I obey Someone who knows more. There have been times when my route has been completely changed and no explanation is necessary except that I perceived He told me not to go that way. Subsequently I found that I avoided a traffic tie up, road fatality, or other major inconvenience. Isn't it nice to know who you ultimately obey? Pharaoh asked who was this God that he should obey and let Israel go. His failure to obey brought 10 plagues on Egypt (Exodus 5:2). Israel refused to obey the voice of God and demanded a king in effect distancing themselves from God's protection (1 Samuel 8:1). Peter speaking in Acts 5:29 declared that we will obey God rather than man. Who do you obey?