Psalm 52:6-7 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,
“Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”

There are any number of people on the world stage today who come to mind as we read this. David was writing about Doeg the Edomite, but the principle is timeless. Actually, people don’t have to be famous to fit into this category. The central point is the simple matter of trusting in what you have, instead of in the God who gave it to you. I think everyone is tempted to do that at times, either in a positive or a negative way. That is, sometimes we trust in what we do have and so fail to trust God (which is what I meant by positive) and sometimes we look at what we don’t have and are fearful because we don’t trust God (which is what I meant by negative). Neither side of that coin does us any good! We are quick to notice those who are actively evil, using what God has given them for purposes that are actively against God, but we don’t have to be in that camp to get into trouble over this issue. At its most basic, it comes down to what Jesus so famously said in Matthew 6:24-34, where He talked about not being anxious. We indeed can’t serve both God and money, the Creator and the created. Any time we try to rely on what we have, instead of on the One who gave it to us, we are in trouble, however successful we might seem at the moment.

This is a very pertinent issue for me on several levels. I’ve never had “great wealth” to be tempted to rely on it, but I have had times of anxiety because of what it looked like I didn’t have. On the flip side, I have trusted in abilities God has given me and not even asked Him how they were to be used. How foolish! I need to remember that God will always supply everything I need, to do whatever He tells me to do, but that I can do nothing without Him, even with the abilities He has given me. (John 15:5) As a pastor I am constantly dealing with people who are in a panic because of what they think they need but don’t have, whether it’s abilities, financial resources, or whatever. I need to help them realize in faith that either they don’t really need it, or God has already provided it in one way or another. Sometimes we miss out on God’s provision because it simply doesn’t look like what we had expected. I need to let the Holy Spirit use me to open people’s eyes to see God and His provision.

Father, this is very timely. You know better than I do that I’ve been somewhat tied in knots over today because of the packed schedule and what I am asked to do. Forgive my foolishness. Thank You for what You enabled us to do yesterday, and for the lessons in presumption that messed up my bumper and side mirror. You did allow us to bless others and witness to total strangers. Thank You that Your strength and ability are more than equal to what is being asked of me today. May I be Your agent each moment of today, accomplishing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!