(…continued) So, what does that mean, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart?’ How can we do that? As you well know, we DO need to work, to make money, to pay our bills. You can’t trust God to put the checks in the mail. And, the very nature of some jobs is to, by necessity, have a certain amount of power over people, perhaps even over a whole company. And sports and hobbies can be a lot of fun, and there is nothing wrong with that. And personal appearance and grooming, though way over emphasized these days, should not be neglected either. And we certainly need houses, and we should do our best to stay healthy. All of those things are good and necessary aspects of life.
But trusting in and relying on God means to see and approach all those other things in light of our relationship with God. In the very first of the Ten Commandments, God says, “You shall have no other Gods before me.” And that means, says the catechism, that we are to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”
So, for example, we must not neglect God in our pursuit of those other things. And we must not disobey God by lying or cheating other people in our pursuit of money or position or happiness or any of those other things. And we must be grateful to God, and not live our lives in resentment because someone else has something more or something better. Rather we should see all of life as a gift and everything that we are or have as coming to us by God’s grace.
And so, trusting in God means, as the verse says, to not rely on our own insight or resources or strength, but to trust in God’s direction and guiding in telling us what is most important in life, and then, how to best handle all the rest.
God’s Word also reminds us that we live not only for a few years on this earth, but we will live for an eternity. With or without God, we will live for all eternity—and you are going to want that to be with God. This life, then, becomes NOT the time where we need to desperately do it all and have it all, but a time to prepare and to be ready for what will inevitably come next. Believing in that will change our approach to and understanding of everything else. Although we have been blessed with great freedom, we are not totally free. We have a duty and an obligation to obey God, and to know and understand what God expects of us in our brief time on earth.
Only God is worthy of our complete and total trust. Only God can provide us with a security that lasts for all eternity, and which can give comfort even in death. All other things that we trust in, be it good looks, talents, athletic ability, or money—all of that will give us a security that will last only slightly longer than the security I found for a while in Muggs.
Holding on to Muggs got me through a year or two of childhood. Sports and good looks might get you a few good years in high school, maybe college, and for a very few, maybe even a bit more. After that, you better have something else to depend on. And even money, which we all need, will get you only so far—all through your life, maybe, if the money lasts, but then, not one bit farther. All of these other things will, in the end, let you down.
Speaking of security, I am now retired, which means no more paycheck, so guess what I am paying attention to these days? —‘Social’ Security, and the stock market, which has an impact on my pension fund. And just like holding on to Muggs used to make me feel a little more secure, it makes me feel good and somewhat secure that I can put a certain amount of trust in those resources.
Social Security and IRAs and pensions are able to help with the bills a lot more than Muggs ever did; but they are just like Muggs in that they are short term securities, and can be trusted in only for the time being—only as long as this life lasts.
Thirty years ago there was a woman in my congregation who had a brother that was a Lutheran minister. He was a few years older than me. Norman and his wife would show up at our church every once in a while, when he was visiting his sister, and we would always have a good chat. Then I moved; but, a few years later Norman got a call to a church in the same area where I was then serving. We renewed our friendship as we would meet each other at conference meetings. Then I moved again and we lost touch, as often happens with friends in the ministry. I did not hear from Norman and he did not hear from me for about 20 years. Then one day I saw his name in the newspaper. He and his wife were killed in a car accident not far from the congregation I was then serving. Norman had just retired. The financial security he had built up over a lifetime of work was there for him for only three months.
But that is not all Norman and his wife were trusting in. They also believed in and trusted in and found their best security in Jesus, who had promised them He was going on ahead to prepare a place for them; a place that would be secure and safe, even after fatal car accidents. And so, they are still going to be all right. (continued…)
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