Tune: TRUST AND OBEY
Grief, losses, frowns, crosses. All these are hard to bear… or to bear up under. At the time of their occurrence, nothing about any of them seems to be a blessing – not even close.
Trusting to the point of obedience gets us through these experiences and often brings us out on the other side with a realization that as rough as the time may have been, our lives were blessed by having passed through.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not eat you alive.” (Isaiah 43:2)
It’s that “passing through” that we’re dealing with here. In the midst of the waters and the fires, we cannot imagine that it will be well with us any time soon – if ever again. That Hee-Haw “gloom, despair and agony on me” song replaces our hymns of confidence.
A frown from someone can just about ruin your day. It is the lesser of the difficulties listed in this hymnline, but it is truly amazing how much affect a snarly dismissal has on our own attitude. On the other hand, a smile or a word of encouragement carries us a long way as we are “passing through” the more difficult times of grieving, losing and cross-bearing.
Davis Cooper (my Denver pastor) said that “trust and obey” pretty much sums up what we believers are called to do. I think he was right… as usual!
Trusting obedience brings a blessing… eventually!
Recording from The Hymn Club
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