Trust and Obey- Stephanie Stephens

Trust and Obey

When we walk with the Lord, in the Light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way.

As we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way 

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey.

By John H Sammis in 1887

I love the simplicity of this song that I’ve sung since I was a little girl.  Simply put, when we walk with God, He walks with us.  In the beginning of Genesis, we learn that God is perfect and our sin separates us from Him.  But, the remaining chapters reveal how God pursues us and wants to redeem us from our sinful state, so that He can abide with us.  God loves us and wants to abide with us.  What an incredible thought that the maker of the universe wants to abide with you and me.

Think about the voices you obey.  Maybe you obey your parents or respect adults at church when they ask you to do something. But, what other voices are telling you to do things?  You may not even be aware that peers often tell us how we should dress, who we should befriend, or how we should act or respond in situations. We spend countless hours with friends and peers at school, clubs, sports, church, etc., where we learn what behaviors are cool or acceptable.  So, if God wants us to obey His voice, how do we know what behaviors He finds cool and acceptable?  Just like with our friends and peers, we have to spend time with God to learn His will for us.  By reading the Bible, praying, listening and spending time with other Christians we can start to understand how to obey God and what it means “to be happy in Jesus”. 

1 Sam 15:22

 But Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrificesas much as in obeying the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice,and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Dear God, thank you for loving me enough to pursue me and wanting to abide with me.   Please forgive me for being disobedient, and for often being oblivious to your desires for me.  Please help me to dedicate time with you and your Word to listen to your will for me, so that I might trust and obey you.  Amen.

Written and submitted by: Stephanie Stephens (Houston, Texas)