In God We Trust!

PREVIEW: You would think by now we’d know how foolish it is to trust in anyone but the Lord for our safety and security. That is not to say that we shouldn’t lock our doors at night, put our money on deposit with the banks, expect our leaders to provide a strong national defense, think through long-term investment strategies that will help us in our retirement years, and so on. There is nothing wrong with that! In fact, the Bible calls us “prudent” when we think in those terms. But our first and fundamental trust needs to be in the Lord. He is our source. He is our provider. He is our protector. He is our future. In fact, he is our very life! And every once in a while, look at all the broken-down chariots that litter life’s highway as a reminder that trusting in the name of the Lord is better.

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

You would think by now we’d know how foolish it is to trust in anyone but the Lord for our safety and security. That is not to say that we shouldn’t lock our doors at night, put our money on deposit with the banks, expect our leaders to provide a strong national defense, think through long-term investment strategies that will help us in our retirement years, and so on.

There is nothing wrong with that! In fact, the Bible calls us “prudent” when we think in those terms. But our first and fundamental trust needs to be in the Lord. He is our source. He is our provider. He is our protector. He is our future. In fact, he is our very life! Listen to how Moses says it in Deuteronomy 30:20,

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

So it should come as no surprise that when our primary trust for that which will bring us peace, joy, and comfort begins to drift from God to human beings and man-made institutions, we are on the road to disappointment, probably sooner but for sure, later. Just ask anyone who has lost a boatload of money in the sinking economy or who has lost what they believed to be a close friend over some issue how quickly their trust in an institution or a person failed.

Here’s the deal: Be wise, work hard, and do the things that will provide for both short and long-term safety and security; work hard to develop trusted and inseparable relationships, but make the Lord your God the primary and ongoing source of your wellbeing. Rather than trusting in chariots and horses, look at the coin in your pocket and do what it says: In God We Trust.

How can you do that? I think prayer is one of the best ways. Each and every single day, come before God and acknowledge your dependence on his provision. Before every meal, return thanks for his goodness. When you lay your head down on the pillow, review your day and ask yourself if you have honored God in everything you have thought, said, and done. At every decision, ask him for guidance.

Make God the critical part of your moment-by-moment life, keep him as the senior partner in every decision, and once in a while, look at all the broken-down chariots that litter life’s highway as a reminder that trusting in the name of the Lord is better.