Trust and Faith

Why use a fellow believer as a crutch when I have Christ?

3 min read, approximately

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and trust in horses, who place their hope in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek the Lord!… The Egyptians are human beings, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, both the helper and the one helped will fall, and all of them will perish together.” (Isaiah 31:1,3)

These days, it is easy to trust, believe in, and lean on the people around us… Sadly, we are human: we make mistakes and fail. That is why, when someone trusts another person and is let down, their life falls apart. Likewise, when a leader fails, people so often end up leaving their churches… Exactly! Their trust was in the leader rather than in the Lord.

“as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one:” (Romans 3:10-12)

. We all become sad; we all experience moments of doubt and panic, disappointment, pain, deception, and helplessness. We all face difficult times when there seems to be no way out. It is true that someone around us often has a word of encouragement from the Lord and supports us in prayer (James 5:16). Although we often do this, it is no reason to turn a fellow believer into a crutch, or worse, into a god. God warned Israel that the Egyptians were not gods but human beings, like you and me… Israel was misunderstanding! Our support is God, not a human being! We will all die one day; our body will return to dust and our spirit to the one who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7), but God is eternal:

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17)

Is it worth having crutches—placing our trust in someone? Do we have crutches? Only you and I know whether we do… Certainly, if we place our hope in a fellow believer, see them as our lifeline, or regard them as a god, then we do have crutches. If so, today is a good day to return to the Lord:

“He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner. And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12)

No one loves us like God, no one watches over us like God, and no one is hurt as deeply as God when we fall. That is why:

“Jehovah appeared of old unto me, [saying], Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Would the Lord fail to help, to be a ready refuge, and to support his treasured possession (Exodus 19:5)? Let us leave our crutches behind and:

“Cry out to me, and I will answer you…” (Jeremiah 33:3a)

May God continue to bless you
and may you continue to have an excellent day in Christ Jesus!
I invite you to stop by the Songbook