“God’s ultimate purpose is not to make us more insecure. It’s to acquaint us with His ways, strengthen our faith, try our character, and anchor our hope in God alone. Paradoxically, the things we become most insecure about are often designed to increase our sense of security.”- Chip Ingram
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”- Matthew 28:20 (NIV)
Chip Ingram concludes Chapter 5 of Discover Your True Self with a biblical case study of the life of Joseph (Old Testament). Above all, Pastor Ingram notes, Joseph placed his security in God, not the people around him. Otherwise, Joseph would have given up long before God fulfilled the promises He gave to him.
Like Joseph, we tread the confusing path between God’s promises and their fulfillment. And on that path God test, stretches, tries, and forges us in the fires of His furnace. Sometimes we lose hope.
So, Chip asks, do you place your hopes for security in:
- yourself – build up your self-confidence to mask deeper insecurities?
- your brains – you feel confident you will always figure things out, even when that something conflicts with God’s solution for your problem?
- money – you focus on the number of zeroes in your bank account?
- family – you only feel secure when all family members thrive?
- work – you look for the right career, company, or organization. benefits/opportunities?
In addition, Chip counsels, to find out where you direct your search for security, think about what would devastate you if it were taken away. Or put you in a panic.
Therefore, Chip exhorts:
“You can be eternally secure in a temporal, uncertain world. [God] has me provision for you and given promises to you that cannot be broken. When everything around you shakes, you can stand firm. You will experience pain and loss, and you’ll still grieve, but you will not be devastated.”
Today’s question: What most helps us anchor our hope in God alone? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Security in all the wrong places”
