I Will Follow You - Trusting God

I've rediscovered a song recently that I hadn't heard in a couple of decades.  Its called 'I Will Follow You', by Maranatha Singers. (listen below)  When I first heard the song I was travelling in Poland in 1993, staying with my future wife and her family.  She had the album, and I had some down time. It was a time in my life where I was intensely searching, trying to determine and discover what God's will and direction for my life was.  Big decisions were in front of me: marriage, career, family, and where we'd live.  I was trying to listen for God's direction and guidance on these concerns every day. As a result, the lyrics song ended up feeling like an extension of my heart at that time.

Fast forward 25 years.

I don't recall what prompted me to look for the song recently, but something jogged my memory and I went looking for it and found it on Spotify.  Hearing the lyrics and the minimalistic (but so dramatic and melancholic) riffs and refrains took my mind right back to the searching questions I had so long ago.  What an amazing reference for me!

There's two passages from the Bible that have been 'highlighted' lately for me lately by God:

• Romans 12:1-2  '....in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.'
• James 4:6-8  'But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud
  but shows favour to the humble."  Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you.'

These past 25 years I've been on a journey of learning to trust God.  At times my expectations and

ambitions got in the way.  Life is messy.  I'm not perfect.  I've compared myself to others and fallen into a trap.  God wants me to look to Him, and trust Him - with the big decisions and the small things.  And when I do trust Him, there's rest, peace, hope.

Trusting for me lately means:

• Saying what I believe God wants me to say, ignoring how I think I sound, and trusting that God will let people to hear what He wants them to hear.
• Doing what I believe God wants me to do with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength - believing that in He will accomplish everything He wants to through me in His time.
• Living in the 'now.'  Stop being distracted with regrets, and 'my plan' for the future.  Being completely open and submitted to God today, in the next 5 minutes, etc.  
• Letting go of my reputation (what I think people are thinking about me).  Resting in my identity in God. I'm a valued son.

I knew much of this stuff 'in my head' back in 1993.  I didn't have a lot of life experience.  Its interesting how time and experience come together to provide perspective.