RISE AND STAND UPRIGHT

Psalm 20:7-8

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Psalm 20:7-8, NKJV

For people in the modern world, trusting in chariots and horses may seem like a pleasant metaphor, but remember, these were prime examples of human power and might in the ancient world.

Therefore, I wonder how David would have written this verse now today. "Some trust in science." "Some trust in politicians." "Some trust in the economy." And what are we trusting to get us through this chaos in our nation and this global pandemic? Well, in one sense, we are trusting in human power. If we're sick, we trust in a doctor to provide care. If our business is struggling to make ends meet, we trust in a bank to provide loans. If we lose our jobs, we trust in the government for unemployment. And we trusted in doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists to create a vaccine for diseases.

Now there's nothing inherently wrong with this kind of trust. I'm sure that David placed a certain kind of trust in his horses and mighty men of war. But he knew not to place his ultimate trust in human might and wisdom. That’s why he says that those who trust in chariots and horses will "collapse and fall." But those who trust in the name of the Lord will "rise and stand upright." In other words, placing our ultimate trust in human beings doesn't work. On the other hand, placing our ultimate hope in the Lord always works out.

So in this current state of our nation, we can place limited trust in doctors, bankers, politicians, and epidemiologists. But thankfully, our ultimate trust is in the Lord God Almighty who will never fail. This is why we don't put our trust in anything in this world because our God is greater than everything in this world. Our God is the only one who is truly reliable and ultimately the only place we can be assured our trust is safe.

Our God is the only one who is worthy of all of our trust, all of our hopes, and all of our plans. All of our dreams can be trusted with God. All of our lives, our families, our work, indeed everything that we are, we can trust with God. His name is worthy of our trust!!!

Father, thank You for this day and for Your amazing grace. Lord, open the floodgates of heaven and pour out Your abundant blessings over us and our family today. Lord, we pray that we deliberately turn aside from trusting anyone or anything in this world but You. Lord, You ultimately are where we place our trust, and as long as our trust is in You, we can never be moved because You are all powerful, You are all wise, You are all good, You are all loving, and You are totally worthy of all of our trust. Lord, help us to trust You fully, completely, and wholeheartedly today, even with things in our lives right now that we don't understand why this or that is happening. Lord, use us to be the lamp of Your love to all today.

Father, we love You. Amen.