If only we all had health insurance…

If only we could be rid of all of the terrorists….

If only everyone could have a quality education….

If only the Lifetime channel didn’t exist….

We all have things that we worry about and leave us feeling unsafe and uncertain. And we all have things that we think would make it all better.  Better education, social reform, political/military power, a new relationship, a new job, better finances, and the list goes on and on. It’s not that these things are bad, they aren’t. It’s just that they will never make us feel more safe or ok in our skin. They were never meant to function in that capacity. 

Three thousand years ago, the second king of the nation of Israel, David, noticed the same sort of trust problems that we encounter today. His people were counting on military power to make everything alright. David knew better. His answer to the trust problem was simple: we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). David wasn’t saying that we can trust that God will protect our nation (because sometimes he won’t), or that God will keep us financially secure (God never promised that either). God can’t be trusted to always make our loved ones well when they get sick, or to keep people from letting us down or breaking our hearts. David isn’t telling us to trust what God will do, but rather to trust who He is. Most of the problems in the history of our faith have come through people who were preoccupied with what they thought God was supposed to do, rather that contenting themselves with who He is. Thinking that we have God’s plans figured out doesn’t make us feel more safe, it makes us arrogant. God’s promises are less about how and more about who. God promises to be the one person in our life who will never change. He won’t change his mind about us or change his commitment to forgiveness, grace, and mercy. God will never leave us in the midst of our broken hearts and bankruptcies. His love is unchanging no matter what the bad guys do, and is steady even when we find that wehave become the bad guys (which happens more than we like to admit). God will not change his plans which are to free us from the brokenness of this world, and the brokenness inside of ourselves. Knowing who is much more satisfying to our hearts than knowing how. In the end, God alone is worthy of our complete trust.