Who Do You Trust

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

“Some nations boast of their armies and weapons, but we boast in the Lord our God. 8 Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.” (Psalm 20:7-8 NLT).

Psalm 20 begins with that marvelous blessing, “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. Selah 4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.” (Psalm 20:1-5 NIV). So marvelous was that prayer/blessing that I could not bring myself to elaborate on it (Yesterday’s TFD). (By the way “selah” is believed to be a term that means “pause for consideration; pause for reflection”)

After introducing this Psalm with this marvelous prayer/blessing the Psalmist brings his thoughts to a close by reminding us that the only real security is found in God. Israel would forget this. Years later God challenged them through the pen of Isaiah, 1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. 2 Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked, against those who help evildoers. 3 But the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, he who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall; both will perish together. 4 This is what the Lord says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over his prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against him, he is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor— so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.” (Isaiah 31:1-4 NIV).

Where is your trust today? Is it in man and human devices or is it in God?