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The power of two words

It’s strange how two little words can change your life. The precious words, “I do,” that I shared with Dave on our wedding day are two such words. In the years prior, I had frequently vowed I would never marry again after my first marriage ended in divorce. I would jokingly tell my friends, “I do” meant I do the dishes and the cleaning and all the work, only to be paid with a broken heart. The day I said “I do” to Dave was the ultimate transformation into trusting someone again. And the result was better than I could have ever imagined. A life full of love, joy, and laughter. A faithful love that honored God.

But I discovered two other words that are even more powerful: “Yes, Lord.”

When words seem to fail

“Yes, Lord “were the words that changed my life when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I trusted God and surrendered my life to Him. And then I promptly took my life back. I trusted Him with my eternal salvation, but I took back most of the day-to-day control of my life. Over time, I learned to trust God and let Him have control in my life. I didn’t understand how important that was – until the day my husband went home to the Lord.

We often say when talking about grief that there are no words. I found that to be true in my journey, too. No words to describe the pain, the loss, the utter and complete devastation and disorientation. And definitely no words to adequately describe what it means to become a widow.

But at some point we need words again to move forward. Not move on as if we can put the pain behind us, but move forward to something new. But what? All of our plans have changed.

The Word will always lead us

We aren’t the first of God’s people whose plans have changed. Life happens to all of us. God’s Word is full of stories of people whose plans changed drastically. Daniel, Mary, and Paul, to name just a few. But all of them walked through those changes with God and allowed Him to use them for His purposes. And like them, we need to return to those incredibly powerful words: “Yes, Lord.”

Yes, Lord, Your will be done, not mine.

I love the reminder Paul gave the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (ESV):

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

All the promises of God find their Yes in Him

God promises He will complete the work He began in us.

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

Thankfully, even when we are at our lowest, and maybe even especially when we are at our lowest, God is working in us and through us. God helped me grow in the areas where I needed to trust Him more and surrender to Him. I finally learned to quit striving to be a “good Christian” and let God work on the areas He wanted me to grow in. My thought life changed as He taught me to take my thoughts captive and be more forgiving and compassionate, reflecting His grace and mercy. Bit by bit, He has continued to complete the work He began in me.

Frankly, there were days when I wanted to give up. My only desire was to go home to Jesus and Dave. But He kept me going, just as He promises in Philippians 2:13 (NIV):

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” At the right time, God connected me to AWM to begin writing devotionals to share stories of His faithfulness. Then, a short while later, He prompted me to leave my job at the church, move to a new city, and eventually start AWM as a nonprofit. Nothing I had ever imagined or dreamed of doing, but He guided me to act according to His purposes. Every step on this journey has started with “Yes, Lord.”

We Walk by Faith

We must walk by faith, not by sight. We cannot “see” our future, but God has promised us one. Long before I knew it, He prepared me for the journey through widowhood. Years before becoming a widow, the words “Yes, Lord” became central to my relationship with God. It was completely contrary to my human nature of wanting to be in control. At the time, Darrell Evans’s worship song “Trading My Sorrows” became popular. A song that was born through prayer while worshipping. The chorus of that song is about “Yes, Lord.” It resonated with my Spirit at the time, and God brought me to a place where “Yes, Lord” is forever embedded in my mind and my heart, no matter what lies ahead. He is the One I trust.

Lord, we thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for being with us every step of the way, even when we have no words and we cannot “see” where we are going. Let the words “Yes, Lord” forever penetrate our hearts as we walk with You by faith. We love You, Lord. Amen.