Trust and Obey

I really encourage y'all to read this week's Living Simply post at Keeper of the Home. It sure was a blessing to me. It made me ask myself "Did you beg God to help you today? Did you vocalize your need for Him today? Did you remember that you need Him today - this very hour, this very minute?"

I know I need God every day. But sometimes I forget for a minute that I need Him every second. I love to be reminded. What sweetness there is in utter dependence!

Imagine if a baby could feed himself. Imagine if he was fully capable of going to the potato bin, selecting, washing and boiling the potatoes, mashing them, and putting them in a dish, then onto his plate.

He can do all this, yet chooses to sit in that little highchair and let his mommy spoon-feed him.

Ugh. Yuck.

But in real life, he can't. In real life, mommy is the one who can supply what he needs. She can maneuver the spoon into his mouth instead of down the front of his shirt. She does things better than he can.

And so it is sweet to watch him be fed. It is sweet to watch his eyes beg mommy for the next bite. It is sweet to see him get excited and wave those pudgy hands.

It is only sweet because he can't feed himself. He is utterly dependent on mom.

And I am utterly dependent on God very every detail of my life; every breath, every step, every smile, every blog post.

I don't feel pitiful for admitting that. I delight and revel in the fact. Somehow I think I know how it would feel to be in an airplane and jump out backwards, face up towards the sun, arms thrown out ecstatically, trusting a landing net below me.

Trust - and obey. For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus...than to trust and obey.

I know I can't trust if I don't obey. Why should God protect me if I flee out from behind Him, right into the enemy fire? I know He does protect me in that situation sometimes - but why should He? It's not as if He has an obligation to do so, anymore than a judge must pardon a robber who dodged three police cars to get to the bank.

God never promised to make everything work out right for me if I insisted on living in sin. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. (Romans 8:28) So if I'm disobeying, I can't pull the covers up over my head, squinch my eyes shut tight, and hope that God will somehow make everything come out okay. He might - because He is plenteous in mercy, but He never promised to do that. I can't trust Him to do good to me in that situation, because there is no promise to claim.

But when I'm obeying - then I have a host of promises to claim. What trust there can be then!

If you're asking what this has to do with "Living Simply," then I guess you just don't get it. What could simplify life more than not being in charge?