Conjugating 'Verbs: In God We Trust?

* Another disclaimer on this series of posts. Just like the Proverbs themselves, they won't be exhaustive statements about a particular topic. They're more like quick hitting devotional thoughts. You probably already knew that, but I feel better getting it off my chest. Sometimes it bothers me knowing there's a lot more that could've been said but wasn't.

I had a video conference this morning during my regularly scheduled time in the word, and so I'm a bit behind in that department today. I'll try and get caught up during my lunch break. You may be wondering why I'm not getting caught up now, and you may be on to something there... but anyway, I wanted to share another thought from Proverbs that hit me last Friday.

This is something that's been floating around in the back of my mind for a while, but finally came to the forefront last week. The Lord really smacked me between the eyes when I came across this verse:

Proverbs 18:11 says, "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall." On the surface this may not sound incredibly profound or even all that applicable to most of us. I don't know many people who are rich, even if nearly all of us ARE rich when compared to the majority of the rest of the world. No, it's the idea that's behind this truth. The rich are trusting in their wealth, rather than in God. I think the majority of us wrestle with this from time to time, and some rarely ever truly trust in God at all.

What hit me this past week was what I was choosing to trust in. I know some trust in money or their wisdom or the power of democracy or having a great military. The list goes on and on. But what was hitting me was in the realm of ministry: it's very easy for me to trust in people, in the student leaders we have, in the structure we've put in place, in the systems and plans that we've laid in order to reach our goals.

I do believe we have great student leaders, and I do think much of the success of this ministry is in their hands. But it's all too easy for that feeling of contentment/security/trust to allow me to become complacent and comfortable. To unconsciously rely less on God than if times were tough and we were really struggling. One of the greatest challenges to the people of God throughout time has been prosperity, or even just the false feeling of it. (We can certainly overestimate how well we're doing and feel good about it, even when we really shouldn't.)

I've also been reading through Isaiah, and there I see a people that has prospered to the point that they no longer "need" God or rely on Him. I appreciate the wake up call from the Lord, that nothing I have planned or laid is really an unscalable wall. Whether you are in vocational ministry, have a leadership position in one, or are "simply" a follower of Christ, I want to encourage you to trust in Him and Him alone. It's far too easy to subtly slip into trusting in man, trusting in our own wisdom and strength, trusting in our own plans.

How do I know whether or not I'm really trusting in Him? A ten second evaluation of my prayer life is probably all that it really takes. Am I really crying out to Him to move? Am I interceding for the lost? For my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Am I burdened by the things that burden the heart of God?

Proverbs goes on to say in 21:31, "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests in the Lord." Continue to do your best to prepare, to plan and to carry out the vision God has given you, but make sure you do it on your knees - constantly driven by the reality that Jesus meant it when He said, "Apart from me you can do nothing."