Only Trust Him

Come, every soul by sin oppressed;
There’s mercy with the Lord,
And He will surely give you rest
By trusting in His Word.

Chorus
Only trust Him, only trust Him,
Only trust Him now;
He will save you, He will save you,
He will save you now.

For Jesus shed His precious blood
Rich blessings to bestow;
Plunge now into the crimson flood
That washes white as snow.

Yes, Jesus is the truth, the way,
That leads you into rest;
Believe in Him without delay
And you are fully blessed.

Come, then, and join this holy band,
And on to glory go
To dwell in that celestial land
Where joys immortal flow.

O Jesus, blessèd Jesus, dear,
I’m coming now to Thee;
Since Thou hast made the way so clear
And full salvation free.

I was reminded of this great hymn recently at the His Hands Extended Devotion.  This song was written by John Stockton in the 1800’s.  Mr. Stockton was a Methodist Episcopal church minister who worked with D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey in their revival meetings in the 1800’s.  This particular hymn was an invitational hymn sung at the end of powerful revival services led by Reverend Moody.  The goal of these invitational songs was to have a simple, clear message in song that would stir a response in the listener to heed the Gospel call and respond in believing faith.  I can see why they liked this song so much because it certainly fulfills that goal.

Within a week or so of being reminded of this song, I came across a passage of Scripture in I Samuel that tied in so well to this hymn.  Here’s what I found in that passage:

“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

So what was the tendency of the people in Samuel’s day?  To mix their worship of God with the worship of foreign gods.  That is what I call “buffet style” religion.  The kind of worship that allows you to pick what you like, but avoid the stuff you don’t.  But Samuel spoke truth.  He said that you must “serve Him only.”  God is a jealous God (Exodus 20).  Not willing to share the worship that is due Him with any others.  It is the same truth as the words found in this song to Only Trust Him.  Don’t trust in yourself.  Your family.  Your government.  But to only trust in Him.  All others will fail you.  In our world filled with lots of little “gods,” the tendency is to serve them and give them our worship.  Fame, fortune, leisure, sports, personal wisdom, and self, all desire to have our worship and devotion.  We can very easily begin to worship other gods, but from the beginning of the Bible, God’s response remains “Serve Me Only.”

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• “His” – Verse one of this song reminds us about where we find rest for our souls – by trusting in His word.  Not in our strength.  Not in our wisdom.  Not in our wallets.  But trusting in His Word.  Isn’t it amazing how the Word of God can speak to our hearts like nothing else can do?  It is His word, but it speaks to us individually.  God’s Word is powerful.  God’s Word is true.  God’s Word is reliable.  God’s word is encouraging.  It is His Word for you and for me today.

• “Him” – The chorus tells us clearly who we have to trust in – Him, Jesus.  John 1:12 tells us ” But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  How can one receive salvation?  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

• “He” – Finally, I want to focus on the word – He.  In Psalm 100, the Psalmist gives us clear direction on how to think right.  He says “Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”  He is in control.  He is in charge.  He is God.

If you are a sports nut like me, when you saw the name “John Stockton” earlier in the email, you probably thought of the great Utah Jazz point guard.  John Stockton was a small man in a big man’s world.  He was 6 foot one playing in a league with guys, 6′ 10, 6′ 11, or even 7 foot tall.  Yet despite his comparably small stature, he accomplished great things in his career.  He was a great “assist” man.  Not the man who scored a ton of points.  But the man who dished the ball to his fellow teammates at just the right time so they could score a ton of points.  Being a great assist man requires humility on the court because you are giving up your own chance to score while allowing someone else to get the glory.  John Stockton remains to this day the all-time NBA leader in assists.

You, too, have someone to assist you.  Someone that is your helper – The Holy Spirit.  One will lead you and guide you and direct you.  One who will illumine the Scriptures for you as you study them.  So, remember what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit in John 14:

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”  Only Trust Him!!!