Psalm 20 Trust in God Alone

At a very young age, my mother taught me not only to fear God, but to trust him. She was an excellent model of devotion to God for me. I remember during my times of sickness growing up that my mom would give me my medicine and while she was giving me a spoonful of some yucky syrup, she would say: "In the name of God." She then would follow up saying: "Medicine is great, but we should trust our God."

Today, we enjoy many advances in technology, medicine, weapons, and communications. Our trust should not be in those things, but in God. In the times of David, people looked up to chariots and horses as the latest and greatest in warfare. The might of an army was measured by how many men, chariots, and horses they had. David explains that those things collapse and fall. There is nothing in this world that we can rely on forever. At some point it will be destroyed or replaced with something else.

Those who trust God rise and stand upright! They are able to stand firm throughout this life and the life to come. No matter the circumstances of life, they stand firm because God is their helper and strength. Because God listens to the prayers of his people. Because God fights for his people. Because God sustains the weak and the helpless.

Where is my trust? Is it in my job? Is it in money? Is it in my house? Is it in my family? Is it in retirement? Is it in my health? Is it in education? What is it that I think makes me powerful and secure in this world? Whatever it is, it will not last. I can have it today and lose it tomorrow. God wants me to trust him alone for all things in life. Everything else is just a blessing; a tool that can be used for good works. But my heart should not be confident in any of them. My heart should be confident in God alone for he will be with me forever and no one can take that away from me in this life or the life to come.

Father, teach me to trust in you alone. Help me to give up my trust and confidence in the stuff of this life and bank all my confidence in your promises. Amen.

Joshua 11 Conquests in Northern Canaan

Joshua now moves to the north to subdue the remaining city-states in the promised land. Jabin, the king of Hazor calls in all the kings in the surrounding territories to join forces against Israel. They were a great horde, in number like the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. Military power in those days was determined by the number of warriors, the number of horses, and the number of chariots. The Canaanites had a great advantage over Israel on all three. But the Israelites were instructed not to fear!

Moses, wrote in the Law: "When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." (Deut.20:1) Israel was instructed not to amass horses, chariots, or soldiers throughout its history for one simple reason. God wanted them to trust him and not their resources. In Psalm 20:7 we are reminded: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (Psalm 20:7) 

The establishment of God's kingdom upon the earth is the battle of faith that I must wage in this world. It is a personal battle for the establishment of God's kingdom in my heart as well as a corporate battle for the establishment of God's kingdom in our communities. Many are the enemies of the kingdom and many are the resources available to them, but I am to trust in the Lord. I am not to fear their might against me because God has promised to fight for me and I am to depend on him. Am I really depending on God for this conquest? Or am I seeking comfort and strength in other things?

Because Joshua and the Israelites trusted in the Lord, they were able to subdue the Canaanites greater fighting power. They burned their chariots. They hamstrung (it seems to be a procedure by which they cut some tendons rendering them unfit for warfare) their horses. Even the Anakim were cut off from the land. These were the giants that instilled so much fear in the hearts of the 10 spies. Nothing is impossible with God. If God is for me, who can come against me?

Lord, fill my heart with trust in you. Don't allow me to put my trust in the things of this world, not even to fight the battle of faith. Search me and show me my dependencies. Try me and transform me to trust in you alone.