Yes Brother Andre, Through It All

True salvation is the most blessed experience anyone can have, but that does not mean a disciple is exempt from troubles, testings, temptations, and anything else that might be thrown at us. However, if we remain in Christ, He provides that unspeakable joy and a fervent endurance.

Here is some of what I have been through: injured a car accident where the young man who witnessed to me about Christ was seriously injured; told by a relative the car accident was the result of leaving the Roman Catholic Church (RCC); rebuked by an a unbelieving parent; mugged; experiencing home sickness while at Bible institute; possibly facing vocal challenges by relatives after I was baptized in water; questioned by my “godfather” about leaving the RCC. 

Oh, did I mention this all occurred within the first year of my walk in Christ? To list the rest would take pages, and surely I would miss many troubles. Besides, in the attempt to accentuate the positive, there would be too many distractive negatives.

Crouch’s song brings out numerous truths like disciples go through trials to make them strong, and the fact that one can have not just a head-knowledge of faith, but an experiential knowledge (“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”–Isaiah 30:21).

Perhaps most important is his usage of the terms “trust” and “depend” in the chorus. Trust is first used in connection with Jesus Christ, Who is not only the example of the Way one should live, but the actual Life one should live (Col. 3:4). The Word of God is clear that we need to die and act upon Christ within us (Gal. 2:20), if He indeed does dwell within us.

One who trusts in Christ trusts in God (John 1:1, 8:58, 14:1, 1 John 5:20). That is the second usage of the word trust by Crouch in the chorus. It can be said that Christ is the grace of God to mankind (Rom. 3:24 and 5:15).

The final phrase states, “I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.” The disciple should understand this as the written Word (The Holy Bible, 2 Tim. 3:16), Christ the Word (John 1:14), and the Word of the Spirit (John 3:34)–that leading of the Holy Spirit every true disciple hears and follows (John 10:14 and 27).

In over forty years in Christ I have interacted with mentors, ministers, denominations, lawyers, judges, doctors (I could say a lot about this one), police, politicians, and you name it. Sometimes the advice was valid and sometimes not. Much of it (including that from many ministers) was unbiblical.

However, it is different with God. Whether it was Christ within, a directive by the Holy Spirit, or the printed Holy Word, Jesus is on target every time. In addition to this, if one maintains fellowship with Christ, one can hear from God just about anytime. I say just about anytime because there are occasions when God withholds direction for His own sovereign purposes (2 Kings 4:27).

But, through it all, there is nothing like having the peace that comes by dependence upon God through Christ. Dependence, though, includes our obedience to Him. True and pure obedience to God begins with our surrender to Christ.