17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. 18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; 19 your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.” (Isaiah 48:17-19, ESV)
One of my favorite hymns was written by John H. Sammis in 1886 called “Trust and Obey.” I remember my first church experience in a little church plant in the Chicago area. It seems that we sang this song nearly every week. I never grew tired of it for it presents a timeless picture of faith in action and the blessings that come from it. Look at the chorus of this hymn.
“Trust and obey—for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus—but to trust and obey.”
I think that sometimes we sing these verses without ever thinking about what we are singing. The chorus tells us that faith, which produces obedience, is the only way to find happiness in Jesus.
This passage in Isaiah presents this message, that of the blessing of faith. However, the Lord gives this message in the context of Israel’s actions of disobedience. As I have been discussing throughout these devotional thoughts in Isaiah, the nation of Israel had gone astray from the commands of the Lord. They did not walk by faith. As a result, they would end up conquered by foreign nations. Remember that Assyria would conquer the Northern Kingdom and Babylon would conquer the Southern Kingdom. The nation, rather than experience the blessing of the Lord would experience tragedy. This all was because they did not walk by faith.
In contrast, the nation could have experienced the blessing of the Lord’s manifest presence. The verses indicate that if they had obeyed the commandments by faith then they would experience several blessings. First, they would have the blessing of peace and righteousness. Second, they would have the blessing of growth to influence the world. Third, they would have permanence. The main point is that Israel had the opportunity to experience the blessing of the Lord. It would come by faith. Instead, they chose the path of disobedience, which resulted in sorrow and despair.
Today, we as individuals and as the church, have the opportunity to experience the blessings of the Lord. We have the great blessing of the Spirit of God in us, who gives every true believer the inner desire to walk with the Lord. Yet there is a responsibility for every believer to respond to this desire and walk by faith. The walk by faith will naturally result in obedience. Moreover, our walk of faith that results in obedience will manifest the blessings of the Lord in the life of the believer and the church.
In conclusion, let us look at some of Sammis’ hymn, “Trust and Obey” again and contemplate its truth for us today.
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—for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus—but to trust and obey.
Renewing the Heart 