Psalm 20:7

New International Version (NIV)

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

For Meditation

They said it was unsinkable. The largest ship in the world in her time berthed at the Southampton port on April 4, 1912, ready for her first sailing across the Atlantic to the USA. Designed for comfort and safety, the operators of the stately passenger liner equipped it with only 20 lifeboats with a total capacity of 1,178, only one third of The Titanic’s capacity. This was thought to be more than adequate for the ship’s watertight design and security at sea. Captain Smith had declared in 1907 that he “could not imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.” There was therefore, no cause for alarm.

On Wednesday 10 April 1912, the Titanic set sail for her maiden journey to New York City with a total capacity of 2,224 passengers and crew. Four days later, the ship hit an iceberg and the “unsinkable” ship sank within few hours. The disaster claimed 1,500 lives, and only 710 people survived.

Absolute trust in anything apart from God is vain. After all its design and careful choice of materials for its construction, the Titanic couldn’t stand the forces of nature. We can get excited about a lot of things and brag about their seemingly infallibility and dependability only to be rudely disappointed at the most critical times. History is littered with examples of human failure, when people have trusted their leaders to transform their economies or to lead them in wars they considered they couldn’t lose. In their presumption, pride has often bankrupted their claims of invincibility and superior abilities when they came against unforeseen circumstances. Then, they realized too late, their limitations and folly.

 Sinful Israel painfully learned this lesson when they thought that the mere presence of the Ark of the Covenant of God by itself was adequate for victory against the Philistines. They trusted in the box instead of the Holy God who inhabited it and so suffered a humiliating defeat (1 Sam.4:1-11). We misplace our trust when we rely on anything apart from God Himself. As David declares, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).

1. In whom or what have you put your trust?
2. Is it in your wisdom, knowledge, or strength?
3. Are you leaning on your possessions and human connections, or on God?

I pray you remember that “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain” (Ps. 127:1).

So: Trust in the Lord in everything, and may He “answer you when you are in distress … [and] may He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Ps. 20:1-4).

Shalom