Would you STILL trust me?…
Hey! Good to see you! I’m glad you stopped by. Pull up a chair. You’re right on time. I was just about to turn the tea kettle on and sit on the porch for a bit before the day begins. I may even do a little I gardening if I feel up to it. I certainly hope that you are doing well and thriving. Me? I’m pretty good. This was quite a challenging week; but here I am as proof that you can make it.
Yesterday, I didn’t sleep straight through the night. I woke up about 2:30 AM filled with emotion recounting all of the events of the week, the many conversations that I had, and the many times I had to be patient with myself as things started to pile up on me. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I grabbed my headset and listened to a song that has really been ministering to me lately. Hold on…I hear the tea kettle. Let me grab our tea and I’ll tell you about it. We’re having a green tea passion flower blend today.
OK, so this song written by Eddrick Hodges and sung by Jhamarrick Campbell called What if I Said got right to the heart of my current matter. I’ve heard it many times and loved it; but this time it cut straight through my walls and pretense and asked me a question that I can still answer with an emphatic yes. You see, this song depicts a conversation between God and man wherein he asks man a series of questions beginning with “what if I said life won’t be easy, but in order to please me the journey you must take …if I said …there will be times that you feel all alone…what if I said …people will bleed you, hurt and mistreat you, lie and deceive you…but the question today is if I didn’t take the pain away, would you still trust me?” Interrupting this line of questions from God to man is the answer from man “yes, I’ll still trust you.”
Whew! And that’s just the first few lines. Right there I felt the tears filling my eyes as I thought back on just this week, just this month, just the last three months, just the last year. Had God told me ahead of time when I was celebrating 2020’s entrance that so much would happen, would I have told Him yes? Could I have still declared my undying trust although life turned upside down? If He would have told me that I’d return from consulting in Shreveport only to find one of my best friends had been murdered, could I have still trusted God? If God would have told me that my godfather would be called home a month later, could I have said yes, Lord? If God would have told me that I’d have to undergo tests to ensure that there was no cancerous tumor in my breast would I still have chosen to trust Him? If God would have told me that the next month a worldwide pandemic would physically affect many that I hold dear to my heart causing two god-brothers and a multiplicity of others to succumb and leave this side of heaven. If He would have shown me that I would be riddled with anxiety at the thought of being in public places for fear that… sips tea. If He would have shown me that in the middle of the pandemic two hurricanes would be headed for my area, would I have said yes, Lord bring it on. Let’s do this!
Think about it. If God had told you everything that was going to happen in your life, could you honestly say “I’ll STILL trust you.” Truth is, I probably would have tried to negotiate. I would have asked that the “cup” be removed much like Jesus who in agony was sweating great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. I would have cried out to God for another way… another path…a less difficult way… a way not compounded by deceit, betrayal, frustration, lengthly lessons, money troubles, sickness, distress; but, a path where prayers are answered quickly and lessons are learned without battles and sickness dissipates as fast as it shows up. That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Nice but this ideology is not realistic.
However, if we discipline ourselves to fix our vision we will be able to say yes, I’ll STILL trust you.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
That my friend is the operation of faith…knowing God without knowing all of the details. Knowing God and His character assures us that His purposes and His plans are to prosper us, to give us a future and a hope. All things are ready. Through our experiences, God readies us for profitable stewardship of His manifested plan.
Bless yourself and click the link below.
What if I Said? Eddrick Hodges featuring Jhammarick Campbell
