Trust and Obey God

Feeling called to ministry, John Sammis left a career in business. Born in Brooklyn in 1846, he was ordained in 1880 and served churches before becoming a teacher at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles.

In 1887, a friend of his, Daniel Towner, told Sammis about a young man he saw at a crusade of Dwight Moody in Brockton, Massachusetts. Talking about his Christian life, the man confessed that he didn’t know all the doctrines. So, he said, “I’m going to trust, and I’m going to obey.” Struck with the insight of this perspective, Towner wrote down the words.

Sammis was moved as well, and he was inspired to write a hymn we still sing today, called “Trust and Obey.” He wrote, “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.”

The message of this hymn was simple: “There’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Sammis knew we can encounter doubts and problems, but “not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away; not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, can abide while we trust and obey.”

When we trust and obey, we can give our burdens to Jesus, and realize that “the favor He shows” and “the joy He bestows” are for those who trust and obey.

Are you carrying burdens today? Do you have questions or doubts? Needs and worries? Just commit them to God. Don’t make it complicated. Simply trust Him, and obey His Word.