Not Impressed by Power

I love the freedoms we have as Americans. The freedom to work hard and be successful. The freedom to worship as we choose. The freedom to state our opinions without fear of persecution. That is why I never thought I would see the day in America where people would be labeled hate-mongers for relaying scripture.

I think of Truett Cathy who relayed that he believed the Bible’s view of marriage and he thought it was dangerous for a people to shake their fist at God and declare that we know better than Him. He was labeled a hater and a firestorm of media hate was directed at him and his company.

I think of Phil from Duck Dynasty. He gave his opinion and faced suspension from his television show and was labeled a hateful bigot by American media. His own television show cuts out the family’s use of the name of Jesus during episodes. The sad thing about Phil and his show is that if they were making fun of the Bible or cursing God, that would be okay and Phil would not be ostracized.

I read some scripture the other day that I liked but wasn’t sure how it applied to my everyday life. Then, as I thought of men like these in my country, I understood what it was saying.

Psalm 146:3-5 - Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

The thing that both of these men had in common is that they were not afraid of powerful people. They were wise enough to know that their hope and confidence came from the Lord and not the “big people” in the media. We don’t have the fear of millions of people hating us for believing the Word of God, and sometimes we are afraid to speak up about our beliefs. I respect these men for that.

Psalm 147:10, 11 - He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

God is not impressed by the might of humans. He is not pleased with someone because they are successful and powerful. He delights in those who fear Him, not man. He delights in people who trust and hope in Him.

When we are overly impressed with someone else’s status, it puts us in a place to compromise our beliefs to accommodate them. My confidence isn’t in whether the people “above” me approve of me or not. My confidence comes from knowing that I fear the Lord and trust in Him.

Lord, please help me to not put my confidence in powerful people but instead put my confidence in my all powerful God. People are just human like me. They will pass away from this earth, but You are everlasting. I know that it is not how powerful, prestigious, or successful someone is that is pleasing to You. Please teach my heart to fear You and please help me to trust in You so that I know that You are pleased with my life.

#confidence