I must admit, most of my childhood is filled with sitting on a church pew and hearing beautiful hymns. Now lest I make myself seem angelic, those songs weren’t enjoyable at the time. That isn’t to say that the songs were bad and evolved over time. No; they are still presented in the same way and layered with the same musical stanzas. The difference came with life experience.
One of the most vivid hymns I remember included these lines, “Trust and obey for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey” There were no key changes, vocal embellishments or synthesizers to drive the lyrics in. No, just simply clear and direct words. “There’s no other way to be happy, but to trust and obey.”
There have been so many times when I’ve tried to go around that trust and obey part. I’ve lived and somewhat trusted. I’ve obeyed partially and lived more, but bringing the two in perfect alignment has not always been my testimony.
To have trust means that I’m no longer trying to control the outcome. To operate in obedience says, regardless of what it looks like I’ll do it. Both of those defining outcomes, don’t tell me when, how and where. It does, however, point me in the direction of who. Life will also present us with curves, dips, and rises. We must admit that our effort to control and dictate how things will work out don’t always lead us to success.
Our daily call is to trust God and obey his directions. Now let’s not take that word obey and lace it with an authoritative tone. It’s actually an invitation to follow His lead. Imagine being asked onto the dance floor, and your partner is a dance coach. Would you tell them to follow your lead, or would you just trust your partner? That is what God is inviting us to do. Just follow His lead.
The hymn of my childhood rings such a timeless truth, “to be happy in (partnership) with Jesus, is to trust and obey.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Pray:
Lord, I’ve been behind the wheel trying to direct the course, when it’s really your car. I’m changing my seat and trusting your lead. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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