“Dr. Graham Scroggie, a gifted preacher of another generation, preached on the lordship of Christ at a huge Keswick Convention in England.  A great orator, he spoke powerfully.  After the crowd had left, he saw a young college student seated alone.  He went to her, asking if he could help.

‘Oh, Dr. Scroggie,’ she blurted out, ‘your message was so compelling, but I’m afraid to truly make Christ Lord, afraid of what he’ll ask of me!’ 

Wisely, Graham Scroggie turned his worn Bible to the story of Peter at Joppa, where God had taught him about his racial and cultural discrimination.  Three times God had brought down a sheet laden with animals unclean to orthodox Judaism and said, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’  Three times Peter had responded, ‘No, Lord.’ 

Tenderly, Dr. Scroggie said, ‘You know it is possible to say ‘No,’ and it is possible to say ‘Lord,’ but it is not really possible to say ‘No, Lord.’  I’m going to leave my Bible with you and this pen and go into another room and pray for you, and I want you to cross out either the word ‘No’ or the word ‘Lord.” 

He did so, and when in prayer he felt that the matter had been settled he slipped back into the auditorium.  The young woman was weeping quietly, and Scroggie, peering over her shoulder, saw the word ‘No’ crossed out.  Softly she was saying, ‘He’s Lord, He’s Lord, He’s Lord.’  Such is the stuff of holy obedience….

God spoke; Abraham obeyed.  Through a long painful process Abraham’s life had been honed down to one truth – obedience to the voice of Yahweh.”

– Richard Foster