Romans 10:11
I grew up singing an old hymn in Sunday school called Trust and Obey. The chorus goes like this:
Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
It’s a comforting song that embodies a life of simple, childlike faith. But how do we know if we have that kind of faith? As an adult with years of life experience, I’m discovering just how crucial it is to trust.
Adults know too much. We’ve studied how things work and gained so much human knowledge that simple, childlike faith can be difficult. In the text, Simon knew how to fish. It was his profession. If he couldn’t catch anything after an entire night of fishing, letting down the nets in the morning would surely be a waste of time. But Jesus told him to do just that, so he did. We know how the story ends. There were so many fish that the boat nearly sank. Simon trusted Jesus. He probably didn’t understand or expect much, but his obedience demonstrated trust.
Obedience requires trust. Sometimes the Lord calls us to do things that seem foolish or counterintuitive. But his understanding is complete, while ours is limited. Our interpretations often contain biases, false notions, and fears. Or, like Simon, we may even be correct in our understanding of how things work. The difference is that God is in charge of the outcome.
“Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced” (Romans 10:11).
I love that verse. It assures us that we can trust Him even when we don’t understand. Yet trusting the Lord in some areas can feel like standing at the edge of a cliff and jumping off. He understands this, which is why I believe He wants us to stay close to Him. He is always for us. He always has our back.
The call to obedience is really a call to greater trust. The older I get, the more I sense the Lord asking, “Do you trust Me?” He isn’t asking me to ignore what I know, but to surrender it to Him. The Christian walk is all about relationship. He leads, we follow. He provides, we receive. Never fear—only trust and obey.
Judy Linscheid
Writing Team