Trust and Obey

In the past year, God has led me in wonderful ways. I have sought Him sincerely, He has answered me clearly through His Word, I have stepped out in faith to obey what He said, and my husband and I are now reaping the wonderful, abundant-life rewards of having trusted Him.

The question now is, "Will we continue to trust and obey?" You see, as I prioritize my relationship with the Lord through honest prayer and careful study of His Word, it seems that God is pointing out another area where I need to trust Him and obey Him. I have to admit, this area is uncomfortable. It is not what was in my plans, I cannot see how all the details are going to work, and there's a little part of me that's afraid that trusting and following His way will cause me to miss out on something. A great book I'm reading says, "The truth is that if we truly trusted Him, we would be able to let go of our fears, do what we know He wants us to do, and believe He will work it all out - regardless of what it looks like."

Once we hear from God, we have to make a decision to believe and trust, regardless of how we feel or whether we understand why. If we know we need to do something, we cannot wait until the fear is gone. God's Word is clear: Believe Him - not your feelings. After we take the step of faith that He asking, we will most likely see the next step becoming clear, and then the next, and then the next... Before long, God will have accomplished amazing things in and through our life; things far surpassing what we would have accomplished by staying on our own comfortable, common, reasonable path.

Not convinced? Well, don't take my word for it, take God's Word instead! In Joshua chapter 3, there is an incredible story of what God did for His people in a seemingly impossible situation because they chose to trust and obey Him. It was time for the Israelites (hundreds of thousands of them) to take possession of their Promised Land. But, in order to get there, they had to cross the Jordan River. There were no bridges back in those days, and the river was in full flood stage! As they got closer and closer to that river, I wonder what fear and doubt must have been screaming in their hearts?!?! Still, they were determined to obey the seemingly impossible command that God had given them: cross the river.

So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan,and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the ark touched the water at the river's edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away....And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho. (Joshua 3:14-16)


My book points out, "It wasn't until the people actually stepped into the water that God actually moved. The same will often be true for us. We act, then God moves."

I'm closer to the Lord than I've ever been in my life. I'm coming to know Him deeper and deeper through the pages of His Word. Still, though, I must admit - I am really wrestling with the life and the steps He's asking of me. I know in my head that the life He has to offer is more magnificent than any I could ever imagine. I know that His plans for me are so much better than what even the best of my mind could comprehend. I also know, however, that the attainment of that life will come only as I choose to trust Him. Just like the Israelites, I will embrace my Promised Land as I push aside my fear and cling to the truth that after I step into the water, God will deliver! My and your experience of His great abundance will occur proportionate to our deliberate decisions to obey Him, making what will feel like risky and costly decisions, regardless of our feelings. Our feelings are completely irrelevant. The execution of His Will is all that matters. Will we have the courage to trust and obey?