When I was a child, my mother and I loved the song, "I'll say yes, Lord, yes, to your will and to your way. I'll say yes, Lord yes, I will trust you and obey. When the spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I'll agree and my answer will be yes, Lord Yes." WHOA! My kiddie self had noooooo idea what I was agreeing to. I was just happily singing along with my mom. 20 years later and it finally hit me.
This three letter word, your YES, means so much to God. Yes, I will serve you. Yes, I will obey you. Yes, I will trust you. Yes, I will live by your rules. My heart is yours; my soul is yours. Opening your mouth and proclaiming yes may be easy, but LIVING out this yes is completely different. When you say yes, you are agreeing to follow Him in any circumstance. It doesn't say yes when it's convenient or yes when it feels right or yes when I can see the outcome. No. This commitment means regardless of my circumstance, regardless of my mood, regardless of the way things are looking right now, I have to trust and follow you.
I listened to a sermon yesterday (Freedom from Stress by Heather Lindsey) and she said, "many people think that once you get saved, you no longer go through tests." Whew! So far from the truth.
Here's my truth: I struggle with living up to my yes when I am tested. I know this. I acknowledge it. I write about it. I pray about it. I've analyzed the many instances when it's happened. I remember when "this" went wrong and I remember how I reacted. I remember that I neglected my bible, I stopped singing hymns, I sat curled up in a ball rather than prostrate before God. I probably prayed as a last resort and I probably cried and cried about it in church on Sunday, but I never handed it to God. I definitely shouted and celebrated when it was over and handled, but the process was devastating. This applies to any problem, by the way. The worst thing was when I recognized that I reneged on my YES, said I wouldn't let it happen again, but still made the same mistake repeatedly.
Listen, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." That makes no sense. It took time....so much time. I'm still working on it. However, I am finally sticking to my yes! God, I trust you. You trust me with trouble because You've equipped me for it all. The tools and resources are already within me. I must turn to you to activate them. Now, I anticipate and also welcome tests. I see them coming and I'm ready for them. Job, Job, Job. I love Job for so many reasons. He went through a spectrum of emotions. BUT in everything, he recognized that His "trouble" was sent from God; therefore, He acknowledged that God would handle it appropriately.
Do you love him? YES! Do you trust him?! YES! Are you willing to serve him?! YES!!!! Will you follow his will and his way?! YES!!! Stay right there in your yes. Your yes carries so much weight. (more weight, more weight) Your yes activates your faith! I'll proclaim Yes a million times. I'll sing it over and over again. Saying yes connects me to the Father, the source. Saying yes means I trust you beyond my comfort level. Yes means I am yours and you are mine, and you will take care of me. YES, Lord, YES!
