The Greatest Thing I can Trust

We put so much trust in people – pastors, friends, spouses, neighbors, strangers, military, doctors, police. They heal us, save us, take care of us, disappoint us, hurt us, and leave us feeling all alone. As soon as something goes well, we tend to praise man. Many times when something goes badly, we immediately condemn God and man. Where did this attitude of sole reliance on people come from?

Satan – the Great Deceiver

Undoubtedly Satan, who wants us to believe that we don’t need God and we can just make it on our own. Sure, we can make it on our own – a life filled with fear, doubt, pain, low self-esteem, anger, selfishness, and pride. And if we can’t quite make it on our own, then we will put stock into other imperfect beings to make our lives the way we want them to be. When they can’t, the cycle of fear, doubt, pain, low self-esteem, anger, selfishness, and pride strikes again. This is the kind of life Satan desires for us to live – not just unbelievers, but believers as well. We’re not battling against other people, against flesh and blood. We’re battling spiritual forces that drive people’s behaviors, actions, and often times our responses.

Until we realize what we’re truly fighting, we’re going to keep losing. We’re going to keep erecting walls, keeping us distant from not only other people but against God Himself. We’re going to keep relying on man and justifying to ourselves why we’re right and they’re wrong. And we’re going to keep blaming. We’re going to keep blaming people, but more importantly and heartbreakingly we’re going to keep blaming God.

The American Dream Isn’t so Dreamy

Our culture (including Christian culture) is driven by self-reliance and making your own “American dream” come true. You can have it all! With a mound full of debt, working endlessly and tirelessly, striving for an advancement in a career so that we can get more and more unsatisfaction from things. The hole we’re digging for ourselves, deeper and deeper. It gets to a point where we can barely peek our head out anymore, we can barely see the light.
But the light is where healing comes. It’s where freedom exists. It’s where miracles happen. It’s where we receive forgiveness of sin and forgive those who hurt us. It’s where we can rely on something much bigger than man and therefore are freed from the cycle of emptiness, loneliness, and unsatisfaction.

Practical Application

It makes me wonder what a life like this really looks like and how it is achieved. I think it’s a daily, actually minute by minute, decision to surrender yourself to God and His plans. It’s seeking Him first, instead of last out of desperation. It’s trusting His plans for your life even on the hardest days. It’s taking your pain to Him first and spending time alone with Him in His Word and in prayer before even seeking the help of others. It’s believing His Word – that He is the God of the Old Testament, New Testament, and today. A God that never changes, that loves radically, and that still performs miracles. A God that extends His grace to us and all we have to do is surrender and receive (even if it is a minute by the minute act).  I believe truly surrendering, humbly presenting yourself before a Mighty and Loving God, is the first step to receiving all the blessings He’s already given to us. That’s where true peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and love come from.

Created for Community

God puts people in our path for a reason. He gives us pastors, friends, spouses, neighbors, strangers, military, doctors, police to help us and be there for us. He uses them to further His Kingdom, to give us encouragement, and to just enjoy life with. He created us for community with others, but more importantly, community with Him. Not that we should solely rely on people, but that we solely rely on Him, and the people in our lives are just a joyful addition that makes life more fun and challenging at times. I think instead of praising man first, we should try praising God first. Because even if He uses man, it’s His choice. He’s the one that saves us, protects us, guides us, loves us unconditionally, and, if we trust Him, will never let us down.