Because I Said So

When I was a boy, there were moments when my mother would tell me to do something that made absolutely no sense to me.

“Clean your room.”

“Take out the trash.”

“Turn that off and go outside.”

And inevitably, I would ask the question every child asks:

“Why?”

Sometimes she would explain. But other times, when my tone crossed that thin line between curiosity and challenge, she would look at me and say the four words that ended all debate:

“Because I said so.”

That phrase frustrated me as a kid. It felt final. Non-negotiable. Unyielding.

But now, as an adult—and as someone who has led people for decades—I understand what was happening.

It wasn’t about control.

It was about trust.

The Tension Leaders Feel

As leaders, especially in the church, we prefer clarity. We want the strategy. The reasoning. The roadmap. We want to understand the “why” before we move forward.

But God does not always give us the full explanation.

Sometimes, He simply speaks.

And obedience becomes the test of trust.

If we are going to call our congregations to holy living, we must first model holy obedience.

A Foundational Story: Naaman and the Simple Command

One of the clearest pictures of this comes from 2 Kings 5—the story of Naaman.

Naaman was a powerful commander. Respected. Decorated. Influential.

But he had leprosy.

Through a chain of unlikely events, he ends up standing at the door of the prophet Elisha’s house, desperate for healing. Surely the prophet will come out with drama and authority. Surely there will be a powerful prayer or prophetic gesture.

Instead, Elisha sends a messenger with a simple instruction:

“Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored.” (2 Kings 5:10)

That was it.

No spectacle. No explanation.

Just obedience.

Naaman was furious. The Jordan River? That muddy water? He expected something more dignified. Something more dramatic.

But his servant wisely asked him, “If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?”

And Naaman went.

He dipped once.

Twice.

Seven times.

And on the seventh dip, he was healed.

The miracle was on the other side of obedience.

Leaders Set the Tone

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Our people are watching how we obey.

If we rationalize away conviction, they will too.

If we delay what God has clearly spoken, they will follow our delay.

If we demand understanding before obedience, we teach them to do the same.

But when leaders obey—even when the instruction feels small, even when it feels beneath us, even when it doesn’t make sense—we create a culture of trust.

Holy living is not merely about moral behavior. It is about surrendered obedience.

Abram: Go

In Genesis 12, God told Abram:

“Go from your country… to the land I will show you.”

Notice the phrasing.

Not to the land I have shown you.

To the land I will show you.

Abram did not get the map first.

He got the command.

And Scripture says, “So Abram went.”

That single act of obedience reshaped history.

Moses: Speak

When God called Moses in Exodus 3–4, Moses argued.

“I’m not eloquent.”

“Send someone else.”

“What if they don’t believe me?”

But eventually, Moses obeyed.

And through his obedience, a nation walked out of bondage.

Joshua: March

In Joshua 6, the strategy to conquer Jericho made no military sense.

March around the city.

Be silent.

Blow trumpets.

Shout.

No battering rams.

No siege ramps.

No scaling ladders.

Just obedience.

And the walls fell.

The Leader’s Example

There will be moments in ministry when God whispers something that doesn’t align with conventional wisdom.

Forgive that person.

Make that call.

Start that small group.

Confess that sin.

Change that direction.

Simplify.

Repent.

Wait.

And our flesh will ask, “Why?”

Sometimes God answers.

Sometimes He says, in essence,

“Because I said so.”

The deeper question is not “Do I understand?”

The deeper question is “Do I trust Him?”

Obedience is not childish compliance.

It is mature surrender.

And leaders who model surrendered obedience cultivate congregations that walk in holiness—not because it is explained to them in full, but because it is trusted.

A Prayer of Obedience for Leaders

Lord, You are God, and I am not.

Too often I demand explanations before I obey.

I ask for clarity when You are asking for trust.

Forgive me for the times I have delayed obedience because it did not make sense to me.

Forgive me for the pride that wants understanding before surrender.

Teach me to trust Your voice.

Teach me to recognize when You are speaking—even in simple instructions.

When You say “go,” give me courage to go.

When You say “speak,” give me boldness to speak.

When You say “wait,” give me patience to wait.

When You say “repent,” give me humility to kneel.

Make my life an example of holy obedience.

Let the people I lead see in me a heart that trusts You fully.

Shape my leadership not around my preferences, but around Your will.

Even when I do not understand…even when the command feels small…even when my pride resists…

Help me to say,

“Yes, Lord.”

Amen.

Obedience is not just a personal virtue—it is a leadership strategy. The culture of your church will almost always reflect the heart of its leaders. So, here’s an honest question worth wrestling with: Is obedience to God assumed in your church… or modeled? Have you built systems and programs, or have you cultivated a people who respond when God speaks? If you sense that your congregation needs a renewed culture of surrendered obedience—one that leads to holy living and mission clarity—I would love to help. I offer several free coaching hours each month for pastors and church leaders who want to refocus on their One Excellent Mission and lead with spiritual authority rooted in obedience. You can reach out through the Services page at smallchurchcoaching.com. Let’s have a conversation about what obedience could unlock in your church.