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On obedience, and the hymn I’ve been singing all week

Nov 16, 2023

If I had to guess, I’d conservatively say that 6% of my brainpower is dedicated to remembering lyrics to old hymns.

That became evident earlier this week as I was thinking about the topic I wanted to explore for this week’s post. It didn’t take long before my mind began repeating those familiar words:

“Trust and obey,
for there’s no other way
to be happy in Jeeeesuuuuusssss
but to trust and obey.”

I’ve been singing those words for as long as I can remember, far before I could even pretend to understand what they meant. But, as I’ve been thinking about the concept of obedience, I’ve come to see the wisdom in those lyrics.

What is obedience?

The word “obey” seems to bring baggage along. Maybe it’s a me thing, but I always feel like I’m being admonished when the topic comes up—like I’m a child still learning how to follow the rules and stay within acceptable boundaries.

And, to some extent, that’s true. But I’ve found lately that, as I get older and “practice” being a Christian a little bit more, I’m beginning to understand how essential obedience is to an active faith.

There’s not one specific passage of scripture that Trust and Obey is based on, but I see a lot of similarities in the first verse of the hymn and Jesus’ words in John 15:9-11. See if they jump out to you as well:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15:9-11

“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.”
Trust and Obey, verse 1

Here are three observations about obedience prompted by John 15 and Trust and Obey.

1. Obedience is a command

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” John 15:9-10

Maybe this one is a little too obvious, as it’s definitionally impossible to be obedient if there’s no command to obey.

But, I think it’s important to be reminded that there are imperatives in the Christian walk. Since we as Christians, especially in the Protestant tradition, stress the importance of an individual relationship with God, it can be easy to take a custom-fit approach to the practice of Christianity as a whole.

Yes, an individual relationship is extremely important, and there is no one-size-fits-all version of Christianity—that’s why we have different denominations, Bible translations, and worship styles. But, there are still ties and commands that bind all Christians together. Consider the following example, from the book of James:

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
James 1:22-27

Obedience begins with turning from your sin to intentionally follow God—but it doesn’t end there. Study scripture to understand who God is, and begin implementing the principles you learn there in your own life.

2. Obedience is a joy

“These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11

“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.”
Trust and Obey, verse 3

It’s easy to construe these words as a promise of smooth sailing, but I don’t think that’s the intention here at all.

It’s no secret that evil and pain are unavoidable, and Christians are as likely as anyone else to experience suffering as a result.

But, pay close attention: we are never guaranteed an escape from suffering. In fact, it’s counterintuitive to the Christian worldview to claim that we might be spared suffering; after all, we follow a crucified (and resurrected) Savior who commanded his disciples to “take up your cross and follow me.” That wasn’t just creative wordplay—the cross was an instrument of torture, designed to cause extreme suffering to those sentenced to it.

Instead, Jesus promises joy. Not happiness. Not ease. Not convenience. But deep, abiding, soul-filling, life-defining joy.

Joy is not necessarily a feeling, so don’t concern yourself with trying to find or force an emotional reaction when you act in obedience. In my experience, it’s more subtle than that. Commit to living in obedience to the Lord, and observe how it changes you over time.

“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.”
Trust and Obey, verse 5

This is the part that’s been most relevant to my life lately. I can be stubborn, which can be dangerous when I’m also convinced that I’ve figured out how something should work, or what I want, or what needs to be done.

And the Christian walk is a conversation. Just before the passage in John I shared earlier, Jesus says the following: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)

So, we are given commands—but we are also invited to make requests. And there’s not necessarily a guidebook that defines the balance between the two. It’s a tug-of-war that I’ve struggled with as long as I’ve been a believer.

I think that’s why Trust and Obey, and particularly this last verse, have been so comforting to me lately. The imagery of sitting at Jesus’ feet to learn from him, or walking alongside him as I go about life, is comforting and contenting. It’s a reminder that, if my intent is to, well, trust and obey, I will not be far from the Savior’s side.

Obedience and trust are not easy, and they don’t necessarily come naturally. Like anything else, they are muscles that must constantly be stretched, flexed, and strengthened through repeated practice. But that doesn’t mean that you’re left to figure it out on your own.

Now, LMK:

What does it mean to be obedient to the Lord? How do you manage the conversation of the Christian walk? Share your wisdom in the comments.