Trust, obey, keep moving

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Trust, obey, keep moving”

I have chosen to bring us back to the same verse we were thinking about yesterday because there is more for us to learn from it. How did those four couples, those four men and four women, handle the challenge of those progressing illnesses that all resulted in the death of the wives? How did they, and how are they, getting through that? You know the answer. With the help of the Lord. They all relied on the truth expressed in Proverbs 3:5-6.

None of us really understood why it was happening; none of us were okay with it; and none of us wanted it to end the way that it did. But we know that God is sovereign over the situations of our lives. We know that He is good, that His love for us is unconditional, and that His will is perfect. So, wives and husbands both trusted in the Lord with all our hearts, leaning not on our own understanding, doing our best to honor Him in the way we conducted ourselves, and believing that His plan is perfect.

Why do some live and others do not? Why do some get cancer, or Alzheimer’s, or have strokes, or die young? Why are some healed and others aren’t? Those questions are often difficult to answer. Sometimes there is no answer on this side of heaven. But we trust in the Lord and keep moving forward anyway.

Our wives all knew that nothing is over until you give up. And so, none of them gave up. They lived until they died. They hoped for longer life, but they also had the assurance of eternity in heaven. In His perfect will, God has chosen to bring the wives home to heaven and to leave the husbands here on earth for a while longer. That means He isn’t done with us yet here in this world. There is more living to do, more work to be done, more people to bless. And so, we press on – missing our wives, cherishing the memories, and trusting God for the future.

It is hard, and it does hurt, but there is also hope. Life going forward will not be the same, but it can still be good. Sometimes Proverbs 3:5-6 is the best you can do – sometimes it is all you can do. Trust, obey, keep moving.

But of course, this is not just a story about four men and four women dealing with life and death issues. This is a story about all of us. It is a story about life. There is much we don’t understand and don’t like in life. There is a lot that is hard. But the answer is always the same – trust, obey, keep moving.

There’s one more truth I believe we can glean from this story that will be helpful for all of us. We will think about that tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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