The Story Behind “I’ll Obey Anyway” by Saint & Sparrow: Lessons in Sustained Obedience to God

Obedience doesn’t end when you say yes to God once. It begins there.

For Tracey Grumbach, the songwriter behind Saint & Sparrow, that truth has become both a melody and a mission. Her new single, “I’ll Obey Anyway,” was born not from discovering a calling, but from living it—one quiet yes at a time.

“I had already surrendered to what God was asking me to do,” she says. “I’d agreed to start writing songs even though it made no sense. But this song came from learning to keep saying yes when it got hard, when fear crept in, and when I still didn’t understand what He was doing.”

The Obedience To God That Follows the Calling

When Tracey first felt the Holy Spirit leading her to write songs, she was convinced it couldn’t possibly be from God. She had never sung publicly, didn’t play an instrument, and knew next to nothing about the music industry. Her background was in teaching, writing, and art—safe spaces that had always made sense.

“Music wasn’t just outside my comfort zone,” she admits, “it was outside my identity. I thought God must have the wrong person.”

Yet that unmistakable stirring persisted. And when she finally chose to obey, that small act of surrender grew into what would later become Veritas Spring Music—a movement devoted to creating worship that ignites revival.

But “I’ll Obey Anyway” isn’t the story of that first yes. It’s the story of the thousand yeses that followed.

“Obedience doesn’t end once you step out in faith,” Tracey reflects. “That’s when it really begins.”

When Trust Becomes the Only Option

The early verses of “I’ll Obey Anyway” echo the tension between faith and fear:

Lord, I heard Your voice call my name,But fear and doubt whispered their claim.The night was dark, my strength was gone,I prayed, “O Lord, please make me strong.”

Those lines came out of prayer—words first scribbled in a journal before becoming lyrics. “I wanted the song to feel like a conversation between the soul and God,” Tracey says. “There are moments when the only thing you can offer Him is honesty. And that’s where this song lives—in that honest space between trust and trembling.”

As the lyrics unfold, the chorus answers fear with faith:

You are God and I am dust,So I will follow, I will trust.And I’ll obey… anyway.

That simple confession became Tracey’s daily prayer. Each morning, she sings it softly before her day begins—an anthem of realignment and surrender. “It reminds me that I’m not in control,” she says. “And that’s a good thing.”

Isaiah 45:9 — The Clay and the Potter

While writing the song, one passage kept returning to her: Isaiah 45:9—“Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’”

That verse exposed something deep in her spirit. “I realized how often I argue with God,” she confesses. “I want to understand before I obey. But He reminded me that clay doesn’t get to see the finished shape while it’s being molded. It just has to yield.”

That image shaped the heartbeat of “I’ll Obey Anyway.” It isn’t blind faith—it’s faith that knows the Potter’s hands are steady even when the shaping hurts.

Does the clay say to the potter, "What are you making?"

“Obedience isn’t about certainty,” Tracey says. “It’s about trust.”

From Poetry to Praise

As a lifelong writer and poet, Tracey leaned on what she did know—language. “I couldn’t write music, but I could write words,” she laughs. “So I gave God what I had and trusted Him to handle the rest.”

Using her poetry as lyrics, she began experimenting with AI-assisted composition tools, forming rough melodies that reflected the emotion behind her prayers. Once the structure felt right, she used music production software to polish and master the song.

“It was completely new territory,” she admits. “But that’s what obedience looked like—learning as I went, relying on the Spirit to fill the gaps.”

The result is a song that feels like sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a prayer. Acoustic guitar and fiddle weave together to form a sound that is both tender and resilient—an echo of what it feels like to follow God through uncertainty.

When Worship Looks Like Waiting

There’s a line in the chorus that Tracey says is the truest reflection of her heart:

Even when the storm rages high, And I’m too tired to ask You why.

“That’s where I’ve been,” she admits quietly. “Tired. Worn out. Unsure. But still choosing to obey.”

She wrote the song during a season when clarity felt distant and prayer felt heavy. “It wasn’t a time of revelation; it was a time of perseverance. I was clinging to God not because everything was working out, but because He was still worthy—no matter what was happening around me.”

That’s what gives “I’ll Obey Anyway” its quiet power. It’s not a song of victory shouted from a mountaintop. It’s a whispered promise made in the valley.

Hearing the Whisper in a Noisy World

In a culture that rewards speed, noise, and self-promotion, Tracey hopes “I’ll Obey Anyway” draws people back to the quiet.

“I want listeners to pause long enough to hear the Holy Spirit,” she says. “He still speaks—but you can’t hear Him over the chaos.”

Obedience, she explains, begins with listening. “You can’t follow what you don’t stop to hear. And once you do hear Him, you test it through Scripture. If it aligns with the Word, that’s when you move forward—even if you’re scared. Even if you don’t see the outcome.”

That’s why the refrain “I’ll obey anyway” isn’t a statement of blind faith. It’s a statement of anchored faith—one that knows God’s voice is steady even when the world feels unstable.

Faith That Stays

The bridge of the song—“Take my life, Lord, it’s in Your hands / I will go where You command”—sums up everything Tracey has learned about obedience.

“It’s not a one-time yes,” she says. “It’s every step, every day, every small choice to stay when it would be easier to quit.”

Obedience rarely feels glamorous. It’s often lonely. But it’s also where intimacy with God deepens. “When I stopped worrying about the results and started focusing on faithfulness, I found peace,” she shares. “I don’t need to understand where He’s taking me to trust that it’s good.”

That mindset transformed her approach to creating. “It’s not about writing a hit song. It’s about writing a song that pleases Him.”

From Private Worship to Public Witness

Initially, Tracey never planned to release “I’ll Obey Anyway.” It was deeply personal—something between her and God.

“But the Spirit kept nudging,” she says. “I felt Him saying, ‘This isn’t just for you.’”

Reluctantly, she shared the song with her family, then a few close friends. Each person responded with the same quiet awe—the kind that comes when truth meets timing. That’s when she knew it needed to go beyond her living room.

Releasing it publicly was another step of obedience. “I don’t release music for recognition,” Tracey explains. “I release it because someone out there might need to be reminded that God’s way is always better—even when it doesn’t make sense.”

The Message for the Listener

If there’s one takeaway she hopes listeners remember, it’s this: obedience is worship.

“It’s not about getting it perfect. It’s about being willing,” she says. “The Lord doesn’t need polished skill—He wants surrendered hearts. When we give Him what little we have, He multiplies it for His glory.”

That’s what “I’ll Obey Anyway” represents: imperfect obedience made beautiful by grace.

For Tracey, it also perfectly reflects the mission of Veritas Spring Music—to create songs that revive weary hearts and ignite authentic worship. “Revival doesn’t start with a crowd,” she says. “It starts in a single, surrendered heart.”

A Reflection for Every Believer

Maybe you’ve felt God nudge you to do something that doesn’t make sense. To take a step of faith that feels impossible. To forgive, to speak, to serve, to begin again.

This song is for you.

It’s a reminder that you don’t need to see the whole path to take the next step. You don’t have to feel qualified to be called. You just have to be willing to say, “I’ll obey anyway.”

Because that’s where transformation begins—when obedience becomes your worship and trust becomes your testimony.

A Closing Prayer

Lord, help us obey when it’s uncomfortable. When fear rises, remind us You are faithful. When we can’t see the reason, help us rest in Your plan. Teach us to listen, to trust, and to follow. Because You are God, and we are dust—and still, we will obey… anyway.

Listen to “I’ll Obey Anyway”

Streaming everywhere October 31, 2025.Available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube. You can preview the song now in the Music Section of our website.

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