Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7, NIV)
Where is your faith? Isaiah the prophet says in Isaiah 31:1, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and depend on horses and trust in chariots because there are many of them, and trust in horsemen because they are strong – but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord.” It’s an accusation. Woe to those who look to the material things for help. Yes, material things can bring help, but they are not God!
Our strength, our hope – is in God, not in men! The world is facing so many crises at the moment, we need to bring the spiritual issues to the fore. Christians are praying over very many issues, but the key issue is the Power and the Glory of God and our confidence and our trust in Him!
Look at Hebrews 11:1 where is says: ‘Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen.’ The reality of faith is that IT HAPPENS! Think about it! It’s remarkable. According to Scripture, the reality of your faith is that it happens! We can trust God because He’s not fallible, like men. That’s why we should go to Him and trust Him, as it says in Isaiah 31, because God is not fallible, He can’t fail!
Do you remember the story of Balaam and the ass? He was sent to curse Israel. Though he tried to three times, he couldn’t do it! He said, Numbers 23:8, “I cannot curse those whom God has not cursed,” and in Numbers 23:20, “I cannot curse whom God has blessed!” He said in v19, “God is not a man, men lie – but God DOES WHAT HE SAYS!” Oh, if only Christians would speak like this! This is not ‘extreme’, this thread runs through the whole of Scripture. It’s the difference between God and men. God is so dependable, God keeps His Promises, God keeps His Word – men don’t!
This is where faith comes in, where Isaiah 31 comes in. Isaiah says, why do you trust in the obvious material things, in human help and human power? Sooner or later they will fail. You may take a run in your car and it will break down. When I went by road to Israel in 1961, I didn’t take an old car, I bought a brand new one. I had to test it first, and one critical part failed before I even set off! Human things will fail. Computers crash. Computers and computer programmes are not infallible. Men are not infallible. They can promise you the earth, but they can’t deliver.
But God is so different! That’s why Scripture teaches us to put our trust in Him, believe what He says. If only we would take God at His Word, literally!!! We have to learn to have the confidence to believe God will do what He says!