For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 ESV
People lose their stuff and then lose their minds. No, it’s actually bigger and more threatening than that. People FEAR losing their stuff (people, possessions, health, etc.), and just the fear will make them lose their minds, peace, and the things they were so afraid of losing. Security is a significant human need. But the myth about security that can take us out is that we are capable of and responsible for providing our own security. That is absolutely and dangerously untrue. If God is not recognized as the source for supplying all your needs, if He is not your ultimate security, you eventually will lose everything when you lose what you acquired that you thought would provide security. While the dramatic image of Wall Street bankers jumping from windows in the 1929 crash is largely considered a myth, suicides related to financial loss and despair did occur then and all through the years. In the 2008 financial crisis, several high-profile business executives committed suicide after losing significant portions of their wealth or facing financial difficulties. That’s just one area where we try to provide security and are not truly in control.
How can we meet our need for security?
First, we need to acknowledge that only God is our true source. The government is not my source, my job is not my source, and money is not my source; they are simply tools or resources that God uses. The entire earth and everything in it belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). We can securely rest in the fact that anything we lose, God can easily replace or better as needed. (Deuteronomy 30:3). But when God is not my source, when He is not my ultimate security, I end up seeking security in insecure things. When I lose my “security blanket,” I become filled with anxiety. My needs become overwhelming. But when I lean on God for all my needs, I am assured that my Father will take care of me.
Second, we must look for fulfillment in Christ alone. We want and desire so much. We obsess and chase after things and people we “have to have.” That’s a sure path for disappointment and insecurity. Philosopher Blasé Pascal said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” As long as we are chasing other things and relationships to fill the void, we will end up perpetually disappointed and insecure. When we find our fulfillment in Christ, we discover that He fulfills our desires in ways we can’t imagine. “Tell them to hope in God, not in their uncertain riches. God richly gives us everything to enjoy.” 1 Timothy 6:17 NCV
Last, complete surrender to God is essential. Surrendering to God means trusting Him; trusting that He knows what we need and what is best for us. He will do what is best (Psalm 139:1–6).
- Security is impossible in my own effort, but always available when trusting God.