Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

 March 7– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” 

—Psalm 118:8

Christians often look to man for help and counsel instead of relying in noble simplicity upon God alone. I wonder, dear reader, if this evening’s passage meets the eye of a child of God who is anxious about temporal things. If so, then let us reason with him for a while.

You trust in Jesus, and only in Jesus, for your salvation, right? Then why are you troubled now? Is it because you are anxious about some great burden? Is it not written, “Cast your burden upon the Lord”? “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition make all of your wants known unto God.” Can’t you trust God for temporal things as well as for eternal things?

“Ah!” you say, “I wish I could!” But, if you can’t trust God for temporal things, how can you possibly trust him for spiritual and eternal matters? Can you trust him to save your soul and yet not rely on him for lesser mercies? Is God not enough to meet your need? Is his all-sufficiency somehow insufficient? Even though he sees everything in secret, do you need someone else to see your trouble? Is his heart weak? Is his arm tired? If so, seek another God! But if he is infinite, all-powerful, faithful, true, and all-wise, why do you wish to put your confidence in other people and things? Why do you search the earth to find another foundation when he is strong enough to bear every weight?

Dear Christian, don’t mix your wine with water, and don’t alloy the gold of faith with the dross of human confidence. Wait only upon God, and look with expectation to him only. Don’t covet Jonah’s gourd, but rest in Jonah’s God. Let the sandy foundations of earthly trust be the choice of fools. But as for you, be wise! Like one who foresees the storm, build for yourself a house that rests upon the Rock of Ages. [M&E]