Obedience leads to Friendship?

Well, let's see .... how should I start this. I guess I should first mention that for the past few months I have been going through some stuff. I won't go into detail here because there's just too much to type and I'll lose focus of what I want to say. I think I'm just ADD that way. But I WILL say that it has long involved my lack of trust and faith in my Father God. I know He exists and that He has saved me, but for some silly reason, I can't TRUST him. Isn't that strange?

So, two weeks ago, my Musical Brother (he's actually my music minister but we have this weird brother sister relationship where we constantly tease each other .... so I'm gonna call him my Musical Brother or M.B. from here on out).....okay, so, two wks ago (Jan 26), he emails me with a request to perform special music at tonight's evening worship service. There are times that I do enjoy performing but lately I just haven't been up to it. In fact, my mind has been more on my "bucket list" and upcoming summer vacation.

But, let me get back to my point. M.B. asks me to perform something for tonight. Since I wasn't feeling like it, I did what most disobedient kids do......hemmed and hawwed and tried to come up with excuses as to why I shouldn't.

On Thursday, Jan 29, I woke up humming a tune. This tune was from a song that I haven't heard in over 20 years. When I was a teenager there was a girl a little bit older than me who would sing it for special music during worship services. I heard her sing it 2 or 3 times and it spoke to me then. Anyway, as a musician, I have a music library and it just so happens that this particular song is in my library. I got the music out and placed it on my piano. I sat down and played just a page of it and decided..."okay, 2 chords, not much effort required, piece of cake." I'll go ahead and plan to play/sing this one.

A few days later, on Tuesday, Feb 3, I phoned M.B. and gave him a hard time about having special music during a Sunday evening worship service (I mean, why? Very few people show up for these services.) but agreed to provide music as he asked.

So, tonight was the night....I hadn't looked at the music or rehearsed at all until my turn to sing came up. I was THAT confident....a trait that is unusual for me when it comes to performing. It's time for my song, so I begin to sing. The title of the song is "May I Introduce You To A Friend".

I get up from the piano and had a little unplanned improv moment when my hand hit the worship band (from earlier in the service) drummer's high hat producing a loud cymbalic sound!!! I could feel my face turn beet red!! Finally, without any further incidents, I proceeded to sit down and hear what the preacher had to say. His chosen devotional tonight was on Luke 11, the Parable Of The Persistant Friend but I didn't know that prior to my song.

The service ends and I leave. On my way home, I was thinking about what the preacher had said etc when it dawned on me that on that Thursday when I woke up humming that tune, I believe God was telling me what song to sing. I also believe that I was so confident at the time of performance because I was being obedient and there was nothing to worry about. Finally, it occurred to me (now this is NOT to pat myself on the back but...) that I had been OBEDIENT....and Lo, and Behold.....NOTHING BAD HAPPENED!!! I didn't fall off a cliff, the ground didn't open up and swallow me whole, lightning didn't come down and strike me dead! Can you imagine my surprise?

Lesson learned.....I CAN trust Him. He can be my friend....my best friend in the whole wide world....the kind of friend that I can turn to and call on at 2 a.m. in times of crisis. Friendship with Him is what He wants most of all! Why do I find it so hard to comply?