Come As You Are: Trusting God's Fatherly Love

Devotional

Day 1: Sitting on the Chair of Trust

The act of sitting requires surrender. Just as we trust a chair’s unseen screws to hold us, faith asks us to rest fully in God’s unseen faithfulness. Trust isn’t about checking every bolt but leaning into the certainty that God’s promises hold. When life feels unstable, the chair remains steady. True trust releases the need to control and finds peace in God’s reliability. [17:23]

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life are you still “checking the screws” instead of resting in God’s faithfulness? How might sitting—not striving—deepen your trust today?

Day 2: Writing Hymns in the Night

Charlotte Elliott’s chronic pain became the ink for grace. Her midnight despair birthed a hymn that invites the broken to come as they are. God often writes beauty through our limitations, turning helplessness into anthems. Our weaknesses are not barriers to worship but bridges to divine creativity. [50:36]

“Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come.” (1 John 1:9, ESV)

Reflection: What “night season” in your life might God be using to write a new song of surrender? How can your limitations become offerings today?

Day 3: Fathers as Mirrors of Faithfulness

Earthly fathers, flawed yet faithful, reflect glimpses of God’s steadfast love. Their presence, provision, and protection point to a greater Father. Honoring them is an act of worship, acknowledging the divine imprint in their care. Even imperfect love can teach us to trust perfection. [19:25]

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4, ESV)

Reflection: How has a father figure’s love (or lack thereof) shaped your view of God? What healing might come from seeing God as the perfect Father today?

Day 4: Binding Wounds with Praise

Praise is a needle threading joy through sorrow. The psalmist declares God “heals the brokenhearted,” stitching hope into fractured places. Singing amid tears isn’t denial—it’s defiance against despair. Every hymn becomes a bandage, every chorus a salve for unseen wounds. [07:05]

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3, ESV)

Reflection: What brokenness feels too tender to bring into praise? How might lifting your voice, even weakly, begin a healing stitch today?

Day 5: Praying “Our Father” Together

The Lord’s Prayer begins with “our,” not “my.” Shared petitions weave individual struggles into a communal tapestry. When voices unite—"give us,” “forgive us,” “deliver us”—isolation crumbles. Prayer becomes a collective breath, reminding us we’re held by family, not just faith. [01:10:09]

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9–13, ESV)

Reflection: How does praying “our” instead of “my” shift your perspective on burdens? Who in your spiritual family needs you to hold their piece of the prayer today?

Sermon Summary

God gives this day, and praise becomes the right answer whether the heart comes with joy or tears. Psalm 147 says, “How good it is to sing praise to God,” because God heals the broken heart and binds the wounds. Praise is not only for happy people. Praise is the place where God delivers tears to joy.

Matthew 5:16 calls the church to remember identity. The light shines before others so that good deeds do not glorify the person, but the Father in heaven. The joyful noise, the hymns, the offering, and the prayers all become one life lifted before God.

The chair gives a simple picture of trust. A child sits down without checking every screw, because trust acts before it sees everything. Trust in God is like that, but deeper. God also gives visible gifts of faithfulness, and a good dad can represent God’s goodness, trustworthiness, and care. Fathers and men are honored not as perfect people, but as signs pointing to the faithful heart of God.

Misunderstanding can happen with parents, and misunderstanding can happen with God. Praise helps remove that cloud. When praise rises, God’s healing, joy, and peace come near, and God becomes known more deeply. The favorite hymns of the church are not just songs. They are the soul speaking, remembering, and receiving again.

Charlotte Elliott’s hymn, “Just As I Am,” carries that same grace. Illness left her in chronic pain and deep discouragement, and bitterness made her feel useless to God. Doctor Cesar Malan’s word, “Come to Jesus just as you are,” planted grace in the place where shame had been working. Years later, weakness became a song, and that private poem became an invitation for countless people to come before God without one plea except Christ.

Prayer gathers sickness, grief, community, offering, and mission into God’s hands. The church’s life becomes bread before God, shaped and molded so that many people may listen to God’s goodness. The Lord’s Prayer asks for the kingdom to come not as an idea far away, but as God’s will on earth, in bodies, homes, griefs, children, and neighbors. The blessing sends God’s people with this confidence: God is holding their hands, and life can become praise to God.

Key Takeaways

1. Praise carries tears toward joy Praise does not deny sorrow or pretend the heart is fine. Psalm 147 gives praise a healing shape, because God binds wounds while songs are still being sung. Tears are not outside worship, because God can receive them and turn them toward joy. [06:39]
2. Trust sits before it understands The chair becomes a small but powerful picture of faith. A person sits before checking every screw, and that ordinary act shows how trust moves before full control arrives. Faith in God is not blindness, but a real resting in the One whose goodness is stronger than what can be seen. [18:02]
3. Fathers can point toward faithfulness A good dad becomes a living sign of trustworthiness, care, and goodness. Earthly fathers are not God, and they are not perfect, but their love can help the heart understand something of God’s steady presence. Honor becomes meaningful when it points beyond the person to the faithful Father behind every good gift. [19:25]
4. Grace welcomes the unready heart Charlotte Elliott wanted to clean herself up before coming to God, but grace spoke a better word. “Come to Jesus just as you are” cuts through the lie that worthiness must come before mercy. Christ receives the helpless heart not after it becomes strong, but while it is still needy, bitter, and empty-handed. [49:24]
5. Weakness can become holy witness Charlotte’s confinement looked like the end of usefulness, yet God turned that hidden pain into a hymn that called multitudes to Christ. The place that felt useless became the place where grace found language. God can make private suffering into bread before him, so that others may taste his goodness. [50:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:11] - Praise in Joy and Tears
[08:00] - Let Your Light Shine
[16:39] - Children Learn Trust
[19:25] - Honoring Fathers and Faithfulness
[24:23] - Praise Removes Misunderstanding
[25:32] - Favorite Hymns of the Church
[46:34] - The Story of Just As I Am
[54:08] - Prayer for Healing and Praise
[55:20] - Annual Conference Report
[62:34] - Offering Hearts to God
[64:46] - Prayers of the People
[70:51] - Announcements and Fellowship
[77:50] - Final Blessing and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Psalm 147:1-3 (ESV): Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
- Matthew 5:16 (ESV): In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
- Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV): Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”

Observation Questions

Psalm 147:1-3 says God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” What specific actions does this passage associate with praise?
In Matthew 5:16, what is the purpose of letting our “light shine” through good deeds? How does this connect to our identity?
The sermon used a chair as a picture of trust. What everyday action demonstrates trust in God, even when we can’t see everything? [18:02]

Interpretation Questions

Why might the psalmist connect praise to healing (Psalm 147:1-3)? How does praise shift our perspective in pain?
The chair analogy suggests trust acts before understanding fully. How is this different from “blind faith,” and why is it significant for a relationship with God? [18:02]
The sermon says earthly fathers are “not perfect, but their love can help the heart understand something of God’s steady presence.” How can human relationships both reflect and sometimes distort God’s faithfulness? [19:25]
Charlotte Elliott’s hymn came from her weakness. How can suffering or limitations become a platform for God’s grace to others? [50:24]

Application Questions

When have you felt “brokenhearted” but still chose to praise God? What practical step could you take this week to bring your tears into worship instead of hiding them?
The chair analogy challenges us to “sit before checking the screws.” What decision, prayer, or act of obedience have you been delaying because you want more control or certainty? How can you take one step of trust today?
Think of someone in your life (a parent, mentor, or friend) who reflects God’s faithfulness. How could you honor them in a way that points beyond them to God’s goodness?
Charlotte Elliott’s story shows God uses weakness. What part of your life feels “useless” or broken? How might God want to transform it into a testimony or act of service? [50:24]
The Lord’s Prayer asks for God’s kingdom to come “on earth” in practical ways. What specific area of your life (work, family, grief) needs God’s kingdom to break in? How could you partner with Him there this week?

Sermon Clips

89s

“Drawing a low point in her spiritual crisis, a Swiss evangelist named doctor Cesar Malone visited her. Noticing Charlotte's heavy emotional distress and inner turmoil, he gently asked if she had peace with God. Charlotte reacted defensively stating that she wanted to clean up her life and become a better person before god, but she could not do that. Doctor Mulan famously respond, come to Jesus just as you are. And this inspirational statement of unconditional grace planted the seed that would change her life forever.”

93s

“Noticing Charlotte's heavy emotional distress and inner turmoil, he gently asked if she had peace with God. Charlotte reacted defensively stating that she wanted to clean up her life and become a better person before god, but she could not do that. Doctor Mulan famously respond, come to Jesus just as you are. And this inspirational statement of unconditional grace planted the seed that would change her life forever. Thirteen years later, in 1835, Charlotte's brother was organizing a large bajar in Brighton to raise money for a charity school.”

84s

“This hymn, Just As I Am, was written by Charlotte Elliott, and she was born into a well known deeply religious family in England. But in her early thirties, a severe and unnamed illness left her a permanent and chronic physical pain and disability. As we can imagine, this sudden physical confinement led to intense feeling of depression, helplessness, resentment to her. So she wrestled with bitterness and feeling completely useless to God because she could no longer severe in traditional traditional ministry. Ministry.”

79s

“Thirteen years later, in 1835, Charlotte's brother was organizing a large bajar in Brighton to raise money for a charity school. But she really wanted to be there. She could not do that. So while she was just struggling and fall asleep, but when she wake up in the middle of the night, and suddenly what doctor Malone said to her came to her, and she began to pick up a pen and note and began to write this song. Just as I am without one prey. And this hymn quickly moved from private poem poem to the most influential invitation song before God.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Pleasant Valley UMC VA This sermon · AI assistant

How does trust in God compare to trusting a chair

What does Just As I Am teach about grace

How can praise turn tears into joy