Trust

When I was growing up, my parents predominately listened to Contemporary Christian music. 
No, that's not a confession. Just a statement of fact.

See, both of my folks listened to 'hip' music growing up, but when they became Christians in the 70's they had Christian mentors who suggested they do away with the secular stuff and replace it with Christian music instead. (At least, this is the way I remember the story going, since I wasn't there to confirm it myself.) So I was raised on the likes of Steve Green, B.J. Thomas (post-conversion), Evie, Michael W. Smith , and Amy Grant (my personal favorite growing up was "Angels Watching Over Me" that song just rocked...er...something like that). 
But I can recall one of my Dad's favorite artists to listen to and even see in concert was Steve Green. One of Green's songs I remember was taken straight from scripture and I'm pretty sure the only reason I can recall that scripture today is because of that song. The scripture says:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7)

Though this might be a somewhat random what of getting to my point (again, my blog, my rules). I have been constantly reminded this should be my heart's cry through all things. 

Right now, in our American culture, we are wrapped up in the election. Only 60 short days away. I confess, I watch news every morning to get my 'fill' of the political game. I also listen to talk radio throughout the day, so I'm not above this cultural event by any means! Some folks are so ready for it to be over while others are so wrapped up in it, once it's all over, they will surely experience that same emptiness you felt when you woke up the day after your girlfriend broke up with you.

You know that feeling I'm talking about, don't lie...

But as I'm watching this political bruhaha, I've started a book called Jesus for President and it's begun to make me think about what a peculiar people Christians are supposed to be. 

Set apart. 

Holy. 

Predetermined for God's purposes. 

We are to worship and serve God only. And often times I think we allow our political ideology to overshadow our worship of God. One friend this week posted the status "Lord, we repent for having more passion for politics than we have for the Gospel."  And it's true! If you look at people's status updates from various social networks over the last two weeks, it's been overrun by passionate political statements on both sides. People writing that so-and-so's speech is going to bring them to tears, or how powerful this person's statements were. I have a feeling it's only going to get worse (or better depending on how you view it) over the next two months.

I can't help but feel like we as a nation are trying to put our faith into a person. A human being. A person who, at the end of the day, is trying to win a popularity contest. To win a popularity contest you say things that are popular with the majority - even if you have no intention of following through with those statements. I was brokenhearted time and time again while watching clips from both conventions as different folks came out to give their rousing speeches for their political platform or a specific candidate and the crowds erupted into uncontrollable applause and cheers. Here, in the midst of something so temporary, were people truly worshiping. Their worship was misplaced, but don't miss it: THEY.WERE.WORSHIPING. 

And it's so easy for us as Christ-followers to get wrapped up in the same hoopla. But what does God's word say? 

"Fear (or worship) the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. (Deuteronomy 6:13) 

 

Our command is to only give worth to He who is worthy. Not to a human being. No human will save this country, this economy or this planet. It's not going to happen because humans are in essence failures waiting to happen. We are going to mess up and miss the mark every time.   

"God is not a human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19)   

  

This is both reassuring and convicting to me. I can so easily fall into the trap of trusting in people and things to be my hope of ' a way out' of difficult times, such as the economic, social and moral failures so much of our world are experiencing right now. But only through the One who isn't human, the One who created the human, the One who fulfills every promise, never lies, never changes His storyline, will I find comfort, salvation and hope. 

"Hope and Change" maybe coming, but they're not coming in the form of a country's leader. They're coming in the form of Jesus. The faithful One who will never leave us or forsake us, who loves completely us in spite of our unfaithful hearts.

So let our heart's cry be that of the sing-songwriter who proclaimed:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7)

Ready. Go.