The Lord holds the reins to your life. Do you trust him to guide the way? Are you willing to follow his instructions? Yield your life to the One who holds the reins. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way!
Hi, I’m Joni, and it’s time to sing a hymn; how about it? You know, Christians young and old know this one, so sing along, would you?
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of his Word
What a glory he shares on our way.
While 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.
Right there in that simple hymn you’ve got all you need to know for growing in Christ. Really, just three straightforward little words: trust and obey. Pretty simple! Not always easy, but definitely simple and uncomplicated. And definitely biblical! First Peter 4:19 says, “Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” To commit yourself to your faithful Creator is to trust him; to continue to do good – that’s to obey him. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy, right?
When I think of that – I mean the special relationship between God and us – as we trust and obey him, I always reflect back on days when I used to be able to ride horses. When I was on my feet I had this horse, a thoroughbred, his name was Auggie. He was a big guy. I used to love jumping him in horse shows. Anyway, this horse Auggie – actually his name was St. Augustine, but for short it was Auggie – we had this special relationship. Because I fed him, because I watered him, and brushed him, and exercised him, because I spent so much time with this horse, he knew me. And because he knew me, he trusted my judgment when I would guide him through a complex maze of high fences in the show ring. That horse hardly ever refused a jump. It was the joy of his great heart to do my will because he trusted my wisdom when I would pull back on his reins or guide him this way or that. And he trusted me because of all that time we spent together.
Oh my goodness, that we could be like simple horses, right? Oh, that we would only trust the wisdom of the one who is holding the reins in our life! Sadly though, we are often the ones who refuse to be guided by the Lord. We avoid the hurdles. We don’t want to go where God tells us to go or overcome things he places in front of us. We are so like those that Isaiah describes in the first chapter of his book where he says, “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” If we would only take the time to know – really know our Master – we would trust him. And not only trust, we’d obey. I mean, God has graciously given us all things – health and strength and blessings. He’s given us Jesus Christ, our salvation, heaven!
So today, join me in yielding to the One who holds the reins. Join me in trusting and obeying.
© Joni and Friends