Confession time, I really love hymns. I know, it’s not exactly eyebrow raising stuff, but stay with me. Sometimes when my emotions are going all over the place, I stop, put on some hymns and all is well… queue singing ‘It is well’. There is a particular version of ‘Tis so sweet by Leah Mari that I love and yes, I sing it a lot at the moment.

Louisa M. R. Stead penned the lyrics to this powerful song and although not much is known about her, it is believed she wrote these words after seeing her husband drown and then endured extreme poverty with her daughter. Wow, what a heart in love with Jesus.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

For me, sometimes trusting God can be difficult, so I sing these words to remind myself of all He is to me and all he has done for me. As I think about various parts of our little trip – well lets face it, it’s really almost every part – nothing has been finalised and that can be unnerving at times. Nevertheless, I will not let fear take a hold as I look to the future with my unanswered questions.

I would hate people to read this and think that singing a song is all I need to get me through or (on the other hand) that I am doubting what God is saying to us. The reality is that I do not like being uncertain and I would much prefer to feel safe and secure. However, by saying yes to God, I am saying that I am safe and secure in Him, not in my own strength, abilities or plans. We can make plans, but He is Lord (Proverbs 16:9).

Many times I find it easy to trust Him, but other times it is a choice. Right now, I sing this song and I choose to trust Him and of course I pray for grace to trust Him more. So I guess my confession is that I don’t like the unknown, but I know someone who knows it all and I’m continually learning to trust Him more. In my books, that’s pretty sweet.

Love Jess xxoo

P.S – I’m not actually sure who reads these little posts apart from our mums, but if you’re not a hymn lover or even a Christian you can listen to Leah’s version of the whole song here.