A FAITH-FILLED, PROPHETIC WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT!
January 27, 2026
BY CRYSTAL G.H. LOWERY
Follow Me Now: The Prophetic Urgency of Obedience
Matthew 8:21–22
In the Gospel narrative, a man approaches Jesus Christ with what appears to be a sincere commitment. He expresses his desire to follow Him, yet adds one condition: first he wishes to go and bury his father.
Jesus’ response is striking:
“Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
These words can feel jarring to modern readers. They seem abrupt, even severe. Yet Jesus was not dismissing compassion or family responsibility. He was revealing a spiritual reality that still confronts believers today: when the call of God comes, it carries urgency.
The man’s request was probably not about attending an immediate funeral. In that culture, burial usually took place quickly, often within a day. Many scholars note that the phrase “bury my father” could also refer to fulfilling family obligations until the father’s eventual death. In that sense, the man may have been asking for an undefined delay — time to secure his responsibilities, settle his future, and then follow Jesus once life felt more stable.
In other words, he was willing — but not yet.
This passage in the Gospel of Matthew exposes a tension that runs through every generation of believers: the difference between intending to follow Christ and actually responding when He calls.
Many people assume obedience will be easier later. They tell themselves that once responsibilities ease, once finances stabilize, once family needs shift, once clarity increases, then they will fully step into what God is asking.
But the Kingdom of God does not advance through postponed obedience.
Jesus’ call was never meant to fit neatly within our existing timelines. His invitation disrupts our priorities because it establishes a new center. Following Him is not one commitment among many; it becomes the lens through which every other commitment is evaluated.
This is why His words carry prophetic weight today (which means every day).
We are living in a time when the Spirit of God is stirring many hearts. Some sense they are meant to step into new areas of service. Others feel called to speak, write, lead, or serve in ways they have delayed for years. Some recognize that God is asking them to release familiar patterns, comfortable identities, or carefully constructed plans.
Yet the most common response is quiet hesitation.
We do not always say “no” to God. More often, we say “not yet.”
We tell ourselves we are being wise. We call it preparation, timing, or responsibility. Yet beneath those explanations, there can be a subtle resistance to surrendering control of our future.
Jesus’ words confront that resistance. They reveal that the cost of delay is not merely lost time; it is lost alignment. When we postpone obedience, we risk missing the very momentum of God’s movement in our lives.
Prophetic seasons often require immediate response because they are tied to divine timing, not human convenience. When God initiates a shift, He is inviting us into something already unfolding. Waiting until we feel fully ready may mean stepping in after the moment has passed.
This does not mean that wisdom, discernment, or preparation are unimportant. Rather, it means that when the voice of Christ becomes clear, obedience must take precedence over comfort.
The man in this passage likely believed he would follow Jesus eventually. But Jesus was not inviting future loyalty. He was inviting present surrender.
There is a profound difference between those two postures.
Future loyalty costs nothing today.
Present surrender changes everything.
To follow Christ in real time requires trust. It requires believing that His authority over our future is greater than our need to secure it ourselves. It requires confidence that obedience now will accomplish more than careful delay ever could.
This is where faith and the prophetic intersect. Faith trusts God’s character. The prophetic recognizes God’s timing. When those two come together, the choice of obedience becomes immediate.
Many believers are waiting for greater confirmation before they move. Yet often the confirmation comes through movement itself. The step of obedience clarifies what hesitation obscures.
Jesus’ words, though brief, still echo with invitation: Follow Me.
Not when life settles.
Not when the path feels predictable.
Not when every outcome is understood.
Now.
For some, this may mean beginning something long postponed. For others, it may mean releasing something that once felt essential. For still others, it may mean simply saying yes to a prompting that has quietly returned again and again.
The Kingdom advances through those who respond when the King speaks.
This month is a fitting time to consider this invitation. As believers move through a season often associated with reflection, repentance, and renewed focus on Christ, this passage calls us to examine where we may be delaying obedience under the language of prudence.
Jesus does not shame hesitation. He addresses it. He invites us beyond it. He calls us into the freedom of trust-filled response.
The question before each of us is not whether we admire Jesus’ call, agree with His teaching, or intend to follow Him someday.
The question is whether we will follow when He says, “Now.”
In that moment of response, obedience becomes alignment, and alignment opens the doorway into purpose.
The safest place we can stand is not in carefully managed delay, but in surrendered movement with Christ.
Based On Faith.
Crystal G.H. Lowery, Esq. is a Christian Estate Planning Attorney, ordained minister, as well as faith and prophetic author. She is the founder and visionary of the Law Office of Crystal G.H. Lowery, LLC and Based On Faith—a ministry dedicated to deepening biblical understanding through faith-filled teaching, prophetic insight, and the integration of faith, life, and law. Crystal is passionate about equipping the Body of Christ to walk in bold faith and purpose.
She is the author of Abraham’s Sandals of Faith, Faith. Is. Now., and Sweet Love Letters to Jesus. Many of her books are also available in Spanish. Her resources can be found at www.basedonfaith.org, on Amazon, and wherever books are sold.
Crystal is also a mother to four precious and beautiful children, living out her message of faith in both ministry and everyday life.
Copyright 2026 ©, Crystal G.H. Lowery and Based on Faith. All Rights Reserved.