Have you had times in your life when things were not going as you planned or even imagined? That life had taken a turn that left you feeling hopeless and angry?

In my time with Jesus this weekend, I didn’t voice it but my heart was heavy with why questions. Why am I not seeing the answers to prayers I’ve prayed for forever? Why is it still so hard?

As I sat in my favorite shaded spot looking up at the trees, two cardinals, male and female, came and landed on branches swaying above me. As I’ve shared in Voice of Hope, I knew they were there to bring me comfort. As I sat and allowed the Holy Spirit to bring solace to my heart, I heard the phrase “when you don’t know why”. I knew it was for my next time on the blanket.

This morning as I journaled, I began by telling the Holy Spirit I’d like to talk to Him about what I can do when I don’t know why? When so much I’ve prepared for, prayed for, and longed for ‘forever’ has not come to fruition. In a moment, I felt peace and knew He had the answer.

But, honestly, I wasn’t expecting what came next. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey” was what flooded into my heart. I recognized these words from a hymn I grew up with in the Methodist church.

That’s astonishing because obey has never been one of my favorite words. But because I’ve learned to trust Him, I relaxed in it and accepted it. I sat quietly filled with awe that I had heard from Him on this hard subject.

My next step was to look for scriptures that support the sweet hymn. One scripture that came to mind was His kindness leads us to repentance, Romans 2:4. Reading the scriptures around that verse, I saw what God’s kindness is. It’s His truth revealed in love.

I googled scriptures for kindness and clicked on 100 Bible verses on Kindness. As I read through the scriptures, I realized this was a map for how we trust and obey.  Living out these verses and trust that as we do them, He will fulfill His promises.

I know, according to John 10:10, Jesus came so we can have an abundant life. An abundant life for me is that my family, friends, those I’m mentoring and encouraging those He brings into my path are affected and changed as I trust and obey. That was good news to me!

What are some areas in your life you need to increase your ability to trust and obey Him in? What’s your next action step in this? If you need prayer, please leave a comment or email me at livefreeandwhole@gmail.com.