Hands off

Prayer has always been part of my life. I can remember kneeling by my bed as a small child, whereas today I am usually sitting in a chair. My prayers consist of what has gone on during the day, whether it be a day of troubles or joy. I have known God’s grace and encouragement, understanding and pick-me-ups during and after some of the crises I have faced in my life. Just recently I sat praying – sadly, it had become a repetitive prayer concerning a crisis facing the family. I started the prayer, which then ground to a halt when a voice behind me said ‘Trust me’. I opened my eyes, looked around and realised, as there was nobody there, that it was God’s voice talking to me. There wasn’t much point continuing the prayer, was there?!

During the next few days there were some encouraging answers to the burden I had been carrying. However, during the next week it seemed as though the way forward had ground to a halt, which left me very discouraged. Once again, with a heavy heart, I turned to prayer. I started to lay the whole situation out again and this time the answer was ‘Hands off, I’ve already told you to trust me’. It was a kind rebuke, which I totally agreed with.
The words of a chorus which I used to sing with the youth group and in the Gospel services came to mind:

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​'Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.'
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(Written by John H. Sammis 1887)

​Much of my happiness depends where I am in my walk with God so I have taken the challenge to trust and obey so that I can live in the joy that comes from being a child of God.

Merle Sparkes

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