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TITLE: Hope in the Lord By Candace Marra 11/18/04 |
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Hope in the Lord
Has there ever been a time in your life when you thought that if you just had one certain thing, you would be content? Perhaps you desired a better job, a nicer car, or more money. In my case, it was more money—lots more. Although I am able to make my bills every month, I often find there is nothing left over afterwards. Actually, I sometimes come up short, until, just in time, God plays the role of the knight in shining armor by performing some miracle and providing me with just enough money to meet the need. These situations make awesome testimonies, but I used to feel that I would rather do without the testimonies and just have a nice cushion to begin with. It was too scary. I had bought into the lie that it is safer to trust in money than to trust in God.
There was a man in the Bible named Jeroboam, who bought into a similar lie. He placed his trust in his position as king, rather than in the God who had made him king. In I Kings 11:34-36, God told Jeroboam that He was taking the kingdom of Israel away from Solomon and his descendants, and giving Jeroboam the entire kingdom, except the tribe of Judah, as judgment against Solomon, because he had turned away from God. In I Kings 12:25-33, Jeroboam began to fear that he would lose his kingdom because the temple of the Lord was in Jerusalem, which was in Judah. The people had to journey there in order to offer sacrifices. He did not take the time to remember that God had given him the kingdom, or that it was better to trust in God than to have a high worldly position. He was willing to do whatever it took to keep the kingdom for himself—that is, whatever he thought it would take. So he built gold calves for the people to worship, declaring them as their gods, so they wouldn’t journey to Jerusalem to worship the real God in the temple. He built high places and ordained priests of his choosing. In chapter 14 of I Kings, Jeroboam received the just judgment of God, and disaster came upon him and his family, as he and his son died. Israel never had a godly king after Jeroboam (only Judah had godly kings), and all the evil acts of all the subsequent kings of Israel were compared with those of Jeroboam.
There was another man who trusted God more than position, wealth, or worldly goods. He valued his relationship with God more than anything this world had to offer. The man was King David. David trusted God even with his own life when he defeated Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. His hope was not in his own strength, but in God. He continued to put his hope in God, even as King Saul turned against him and went to great lengths to kill him. In 1 Samuel 24, David even had an opportunity to kill Saul and perhaps take his position as king. This was long after he had been anointed as king. Admirably, in verse 6, David said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” He was willing to leave the outcome in God’s hands, because he trusted Him. Saul continued to seek David’s life. David remained faithful to God, even writing beautiful Psalms to Him. Eventually, David did become king, and even though he made some mistakes along the way, God later called David a man after His own heart. What an honor!
During the time I had put my hope into money, I lived my life in a way that was comparable to Jeroboam. I never built any golden calves, but money had become a golden calf to me. I found it hard to pray, because I didn’t want to hear God tell me I couldn’t go after the money. I was often stressed during my pursuit of money because I wasted so much of my valuable time doing something that was not God’s will for me. When we place our hope in worldly goods, we end up trying to control the situation, just as Jeroboam did. This creates a great deal of stress. We were not designed to be in control—that is God’s job.
I’m not saying it is wrong to try to get more money. It is only wrong if you put your quest for money above your relationship with God. This is what I was guilty of. I finally surrendered this to God. At first, I struggled with a desire to go after money in other ways, but God actually took away my avenues for doing this, and now I am free of those desires. I still would like more money, but I am content with what I have. I am actually busier now than I was during my pursuit of money, yet I am not stressed. The difference? I am doing God’s will, rather than trying to force my own. It feels so good to be relieved of trying to be in control! I never had any control anyway!
Let me assure you that it is safe to hope in the Lord. He is faithful to keep all of His promises. He never forgets, and He is powerful enough and wise enough to carry out every single promise concerning you. He cares deeply for you, and He is keenly aware of your every need. He is wiser than you, and He sees a much bigger picture than you see.
Nothing in this world is safe to hope in. Even the best of people can let you down. Riches can be taken away very quickly. Indeed, life itself is fragile and untrustworthy. Why gamble with hoping in these worldly goods that we have no control over, when we have an Almighty God who is in control, and whose plans and promises are so superior?
If you are in the habit of hoping in worldly goods, you will find that it is a battle to start hoping in the Lord. You will have to make a conscious choice to trust Him enough to be the One in control, not just once, but over and over again until it sticks. You may have to drastically change some of your actions to be consistent with your decision. It will take prayer and perseverance, but you can do it. God knows how to help you, and He wants you to experience the joy that comes from hoping in Him.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” --Jeremiah 29:11
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