Where do you find security?

This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

There are people who claim that modern Americans are cynical and untrusting. They suggest that our nation lost it’s innocence during the years 1950 through 1964, when Joseph McCarthy’s ‘red scare’ had everyone suspecting his neighbor of being a communist and the assassination of President Kennedy shook the confidence of a generation. Historians believe that the years from 1965 to 1975, filled with violent disagreement over Vietnam and scandalized by Watergate, caused people to lose their faith in government and led to young folks claiming that you can’t trust anyone over 30. A quarter century of turmoil has supposedly undermined our willingness to trust in any kind of organization or authority.

But in spite of all the terrible things that have happened in our lives, we still put our faith in a lot of things. For example, we trust in the medical profession. We assume that whatever is making us feel sick can be spotted by an x-ray or found by analyzing a blood sample. We are confident that surgeons can correct any problem and that physicians will prescribe effect treatments. We take it for granted that the medicine from the pharmacy is safe to use and will bring relief.

In the same way, we place trust in businesses and the economy. Whenever we go to the sink or start a load of laundry, we assume that the twist of a knob will provide us with clean water. Whenever we flip on a light switch, we assume the electricity will be working. We expect a dial tone when we need to make a phone call, and that there will be gasoline available when we go to fill up. We take it for granted that the grocery store will be well stocked with food that is safe to eat. We assume that banks will handle our money responsibly, and that each new car we buy will be dependable. We assume that there will always be something on the radio and television when we turn them on, and whether we get it from the paper or a television network, that the news will be fair and accurate.

Nor does it stop there; we trust in government services as well. We expect that there will be a school for our children to attend, and we are confident that good education is being provided. When we call 911, we assume that we will quickly get whatever kind of help we need, whether it be police protection, a crew of fire fighters, or an ambulance. When we pay the bills, we trust the postal service to get our checks delivered before the due date has passed. Everyone assumes that when money is tight, the government will step in and help through Welfare, food stamps, and any number of other programs. And we trust in the power of our government—we rarely think about the work of the diplomatic corps or the nation’s border patrol agents; we are confident that the CIA and our military forces will keep us safe from attack.

And we trust in relationships. Husbands and wives trust in each other’s commitment to love and laugh together for the rest of their lives. Children assume that their parents will feed them, clothe them, and always tell them the truth. Brothers and sisters expect their siblings to always have their back. Parents assume that their children will listen to them and obey them. We are sure that our friends will drop everything when we need to share our joys or sorrows. We take it for granted that our neighbors will respect our privacy, but offer a helping hand if needed. When employed, we expect the boss to pay us on time and for the work we did. And we expect the other employees to do their fair share of the work.

As you can see, each of us trusts in others quite a bit. What a shame, then, that such trust is so often unwarranted. You can’t always trust in the medical profession; lab technicians can botch tests, doctors misdiagnose symptoms, and sometimes pharmaceutical companies have to recall their drugs.

Nor can you depend on public utilities or telecommunication providers; power can be disrupted by anything from an ice storm to a squirrel stepping in the wrong spot, and a mistake made while digging can cut fiber optic cables and natural gas lines. You cannot rely on the economy—the Great Depression of the 1930s shows how suddenly a person can lose everything. Oil prices fluctuate according to the weather and the political climate overseas; in spite of government inspections, tainted food still results in sickness and death. Even news services as respected as CBS and the BBC are found to report biased news on occasion.

You cannot always depend on government services. The news is filled with stories about teachers who abuse their students and school districts that cannot fund essential programs; calling 911 does not guarantee help if your community had to cut the police staff because of funding shortfalls. The postal service can lose an envelope for months or even years. There is no guarantee that a bunch of newly elected officials won’t cut various programs that serve the needy. The 9/11 terrorist attack proved dramatically that the government cannot guarantee your safety.

And you cannot depend on relationships with other people, even those whom you love dearly. Every business has employees who are lazy, or a boss that has no business sense. Some neighbors are nosy, some live like hermits, and some annoy you with their overgrown yards, loud parties, or trash blowing in the wind. Some friends move away and stop calling you. There are children who will sass you or ignore you. You might have a brother or sister that talks about you behind your back. Your parents might be so wrapped up in their own problems that they don’t realize how desperately you need their attention. And the person you married may cheat on you, abuse you, or file for divorce.

But so what if you can’t trust in others—at least you can rely on yourself. Perhaps you trust in your education and training to provide the answer when life hands you a challenge; and even if you don’t have a lot of schooling, you might be pretty good at thinking things through and solving tough problems just by using your brain. Or maybe you trust your instincts; when faced with a tough decision, you are confident that your own moral compass will lead you in the right direction. You are sensitive to your gut reaction and let your feelings be your guide.

Could it be that your confidence is based on your health? Maybe you’ve always been healthy, or you work hard at eating a healthy diet and maintaining your muscle tone through exercise and an active lifestyle. Or you might trust in your charm, your ability to get other people to listen to you and do what you want. Maybe you find security in your investment portfolio. You’ve worked hard and invested wisely; no matter what comes, you’re pretty sure that you’re set for life. No worries, right?

Too bad that you cannot count on yourself any more than you can count on others. Sometimes life presents you with a problem that you can’t figure out, that none of your studying has prepared you for. You certainly can’t trust your instincts—more often than not, decisions made in the heat of the moment turn out to be decisions we regret for years afterwards. A lifetime of good health and vigorous activity can end suddenly with a car crash. Your ability to influence others can be destroyed by one accusation of improper conduct. Your assets can be wiped out by any one of many addictions—compulsive shopping, gambling, drinking, or doing drugs.

Putting your trust in other people or yourself is often foolish, sometimes even dangerous. Sooner or later, others will let you down; inevitably, one day you will let yourself down. No wonder then that God warns us away from trusting in human power, wisdom and commitment: Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength. Every human being is fatally flawed—flawed in body, mind and soul. Every one of us makes mistakes; we base decisions on arrogant pride, we act impulsively without considering long-term implications, we let what is urgent trump what is important. When push comes to shove, we love ourselves first and foremost, ignoring God’s law of love: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). That is the reason we cannot trust ourselves or each other—we cannot be counted upon to love as we should.

Thankfully, there is someone you can depend upon, someone who never makes errors in judgment, never gets lazy or does haphazard work. There is someone who never turns you away because He is too busy, or demands that you bribe or flatter Him before He will respond. There is someone who always keeps His promises, who loves you unselfishly and forever. That someone is the Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Through Jeremiah, our God says I have loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). In Hebrews chapter 13 He tells us, I will never leave you; I will never turn you away. No matter how terribly we mess up, we have this security: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail (Lamentations 3:22). God’s compassionate nature moved Him to send His Son to die for us. By breaking God’s laws, we have called down His curse on ourselves—but Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Paul writes, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus accepted the curse for our sins and paid the ultimate price—He did this out of love, to spare us from the hell we deserve for loving so poorly. And we can count on the salvation Christ offers: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Through Isaiah God says, my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail (Isaiah 51:6). Over and over again, Holy Scripture reminds us that God can be depended on when no one else can. And so God says, blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. It is only when you trust in the Lord that you can have true peace of mind.

At the beginning of this devotion, I said that the betrayals of life make us cynical, but in spite of that we keep on trusting others. We have to—we cannot survive on our own, we need the security of knowing that someone has our back, that others are willing to reach out and offer us a helping hand. But so long as we look for support from other human beings, so long as we lean on our own abilities, we will get those crutches kicked out from under us over and over again. There is only one place to look for confidence in the face of uncertainty; there is only one source of dependability in a world of failures and broken promises. Only God has the power to get you through life’s troubles. Only God has the wisdom to use that power for your best interests, regardless of how complicated your problems may seem. Only God has the patience to put up with your foolish words and rash actions, and still be there to forgive you when you start thinking clearly again. Only God has the kind of love that does not give up on you, no matter how many times you push Him away so you can indulge your sinful appetites. It is God alone who can ease your pain, forgive your sins, reassure you with hope, strengthen your resolve, and open heaven’s gates to you. To look for security anywhere else is both foolish and an insult to the only one who loves you with total commitment. Make time for God in your day, every day, because He is the only one you can depend on without reservation.