“Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?” – Isaiah 2:22
Who is your knight in shining armor?
Imagine you were arrested. You are sitting in your cell wondering what you are going to do and who you need to call when a guard comes by and tells you there is a visitor to see you. You go to the room with glass partitions and phones and there is your best friend. Your friend says,
“I told you I would always have your back. So, I’m offering to represent you in court.”
You think to yourself,
“This person barely made it out of high school. They stumble over their words if they have to speak in front of people and other than watching some episodes of Law and Order, I don’t think they have any experience with the Law.”
How do you respond to your friend?
If you’re wise, you’ll thank your friend for offering, but let them know you are going to find a real lawyer.
Your friend may be a great person and have the best intentions, but they simply don’t have the knowledge and skills to help.
Who do you look to for your help?
Is it your spouse? Maybe it’s a friend. Perhaps it’s a political figure. The problem is the same as your kind friend who offered to be your lawyer. No matter how well-intentioned, skilled, connected, or powerful the person is, they are just a human being. They simply don’t have what is needed to consistently and ultimately do what we need.
Obviously, people can help you, but the question Isaiah 2 poses is who do you, ultimately, trust for your help.
Martin Luther would say that your answer is whoever your god is and that you should make sure your god is the One True God.
What is God? Answer: A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need.
There is only one god who can truly give all good things and provide real refuge from all strife and enemies. That is the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Trust in the Triune God not only because He deserves it, but because He is the only one who can truly, ultimately, do what you need and He has proven it by defeating death and hell for you.
Heavenly Father,
You, alone, are my help and my salvation. I trust in You and only You for every good thing and refuge from every strife and enemy. Help me to continue to trust you and not to be enticed by the promises men.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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