It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Psalm 118:8-9 NIV
than to trust in humans.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
What do you trust in? Where is your security to be found? My retirement income provides me with a certain level of security. My health insurance ensures that I will not be overwhelmed by medical bills should something happen to me. I trust that electricity and water will continue to flow into my home. And that our military and police will keep me safe from threats abroad and at home.
But all of those can fail me. There is no guarantee that these things that I trust in will always be there. But there is one I can trust never to fail me. The humans or institutions I might trust in can let me down. But the Lord never will. As the psalmist says, it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans or princes.
A refuge is a place of security. A place to flee when trouble comes. Making the Lord my refuge does not mean I will never face any challenges. Instead, it means that I can face them, knowing that my life and eternity are secure in him. Regardless of what might happen to me now, I know that he is walking with me through it, and, in the end, I will stand before him.
This is not an argument against trusting other people or things. It would be hard to live without placing some level of trust in the people and things of this world. But even better is to take refuge in the Lord. To find my ultimate security in him alone.
