Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
The word obey has come to mind often. It’s a word that brings some hesitance to me because I question it. “Obey? Just like that? What if the command isn’t good?”
But 1 John 5:3 says, “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”
I think it’s easy to read this and say it aloud, but there’s an element of trusting what God says is true, that He does in fact have good plans, that his yoke is easy and the burden is light. And trust is sometimes really difficult when you start to think about the what-ifs.
It’s all too easy to worry about the future when we think about things from our perspective where we have absolutely no control over anything, quite honestly. And that’s terrifying.
But God has things in control and He is never worried, He’s very calm about most things.
So I think about that hymn and how it mentions there’s joy and happiness in obeying Jesus, and it’s true. Sometimes I don’t feel very joyful in the midst of the seemingly chaotic mess. But God gives us the ability to worship no matter what, we have choice in how we react and there’s a joy that we have that surpasses immediate satisfaction and fleeting happiness in circumstances. And if He gives us this joy, then it must be true his commands are not burdensome.
I was reading another devotional today and it says this,
“But don’t forget the last sentence of today’s verse [1 John 5:3]! God’s commands are not burdensome. God’s good rules guide us into peace, fill us with purpose, and teach us contentment. And God himself, through the power of his Holy Spirit, gives us the power to obey.
“Love for God is obedience to God, it’s that simple.
“Do you equate obedience with love for God? If not, why not? Do you fear God’s will for you or embrace it, knowing it is good, agreeable and perfect?”
Rather than being fearful and resistant to God’s commands – whether they be buying a train ticket for strangers, moving away from family, going on a trip or to a conference that seems like a mad idea, I want to be joyful and excited to see what God will do. I want to partner and grow with my best friend who has not let me down so far.
V1
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
V2
Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
V3
Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
V4
But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
V5
Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do;
Where He sends, we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.