“Simply Trusting, With Gladness”

Time marches on. Yes, 2022 is well underway. While these are surely still unusual days, the journey onward and upward on the Highway of Holiness continues. 

In January of 2021, the Lord seemed to give me two words of focus: “Simply Trust!” With the arrival of January 2022, two new words came clearly into focus: “With Gladness!” My prayer recently has included these four words: “Lord, help me to ‘simply trust’ You ‘with gladness.’ Amen!”

On day nine of the new year, this message rang out — loud and clear — as part of my quiet saturation time in the Lord’s presence: 

“Nothing gives the believer as much ‘gladness’ as fellowship with Jesus Christ, for the believer finds in close communion with Jesus Christ both Living Water and Living Bread. Therefore, with gladness, let us all drink and eat to the full for we are those who have Jesus Christ Himself as our inheritance.”

At our recent Four Winds Prayer Retreat, i talked about my Mom’s goal in prayer simply and profoundly being Jesus Christ Himself. With the Lord alone as her deepest desire, my Mom has surely lived her whole Christian life “simply trusting” Him “with gladness.” It does not mean trials and troubles have been absent, quite the opposite, nevertheless, in all of her trials and in all of her troubles she passionately testifies that the Lord has proven to be both present and trustworthy without fail. At age 80, “with gladness” she continues to drink from the fountain of His Living Water and to dine at the table of His Living Bread. 

i am inspired along these lines of gladness with the opening words of a Larnelle Harris song:

“i can be glad for my Hope is in the Lord, for He gives a confidence this world doesn’t know. He’s the Lord of all creation, and whatever the situation, i am glad for my Hope’s in the Lord!”

This passage of Scripture fuels these thoughts i have shared:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord anointed me To bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, THE OIL OF GLADNESS INSTEAD OF MOURNING, The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah‬ ‭61:1-3‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Would you pray with me: 

“Lord, because You alone are our Living Water and Living Bread, help us to ‘simply trust’ You ‘with gladness.’ And Lord, please grant over our lives YOUR OIL OF GLADNESS FOR OUR MOURNING. In Your Name we ask it. Amen.”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Note: Originally written January 29, 2022 as a Four Winds Forecast newsletter article to our district family