Eternal Security

Readings for today: Zechariah 1-4, Psalms 60

Walls were incredibly important in the ancient world. They marked out the boundaries of a particular city. They provided security for those living within them. They protected the water supply and food stores. In fact, your community didn’t qualify as a “city” unless it was surrounded by a wall. If you were to set out to build a city in the ancient world, the very first thing you would do is build your wall. Often made of sun-dried mud and brick, you would try to build it as high and as deep as possible. Jericho, among the oldest cities in the world, has the oldest defensive wall in existence and it was a monster. Thirteen feet high and six feet wide, backed by a twenty-eight foot watchtower. They were sloped in order to make it difficult to scale if you were an opposing army. A few years ago, I stood on those walls and looked out over the modern day city of Jericho. Truly amazing.

Perhaps that’s why a line in today’s reading stuck out to me. Zechariah 2:4-5. “The angel said to him, “Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and animals in it.” The declaration of the Lord: “I myself will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it.” At first blush, this is not a message Zechariah wants to hear. A city without walls? A city laid vulnerable before her enemies? A city without protection? No thanks! It wouldn’t matter how large it was or how many people lived within it, if she didn’t have a wall, they would be an easy target for their enemies. But the Lord isn’t done. He will be their wall. He will be their protection. He will be their security. They have nothing to fear for He will keep out their enemies. Not only that but He will be their glory. This image will be echoed later on the final Book of Revelation where the Apostle John talks about there not being a need for a sun or a moon for the glory of the Lord will be the light of the heavenly Jerusalem.

What does God want us to learn here? He wants us to lean on Him for our security. Lean on Him for protection. Lean on Him when we are anxious or afraid. As powerful as they were, the walls of Jericho were destroyed and rebuilt many times over. The same was true for every single city in the ancient near east. No matter how big your army or how technologically advanced your weaponry or how wealthy your nation might be, all of them fell into ruin. All of them are eventually overcome by an enemy more powerful and more advanced. The same is true for us. We can do all we can to keep ourselves safe. Protect our health and wealth and those we love. We can store up millions in retirement accounts. Exercise every single day. Get enough sleep. Eat well. Take supplements. Utilize our access to the best doctors and medical care in the world. None of it will extend our lives a single day longer than what God has already ordained. Much better to trust the Lord. To let God take care of our lives. To let Him be the wall of fire that surrounds us and the glory that lives inside us. With God providing our eternal security, we are set free to live completely and fully for Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 5-8, Psalms 61

Eternal Security

Readings for today: Jeremiah 9-12

I grew up with a deep sense of insecurity. I always felt like I had something to prove. Always felt like I needed to impress others. I cared a lot about what others thought. An unkind word would send me into an emotional tailspin for days. Sure, I covered well. I developed an instinct for self-preservation. I guarded my heart and let no one in. I overcompensated by chasing achievement. I drove myself hard. I refused to ever quit. Though I was never the smartest, I graduated high school with honors. Though I was never the most athletic, I lettered in two sports and made the all-state team in lacrosse. Though I was not excited about Boy Scouts, I achieved the rank of Eagle. Though I wasn’t sure what I believed, I was a leader in my youth group at church, sang solos in the church choir, and even played the lead (Jesus) in a production of Godspell. By the time I got to college, I was tired. Tired of having to keep up appearances. Tired of having to pretend every single day. Tired of having to project a perfect image to the world. Furthermore, I had no close friends. No community to speak of. My family was an hour away. I felt very much alone. The results were not good. The house of cards I had built came crashing down around me. I began drinking heavily. Skipping class. Failing out of school. That’s when I met Jesus. He overwhelmed all my defenses. He penetrated to the depths of my heart. And He let me know I was deeply and dearly loved. Loved for who I was not who I pretended to be. Loved fully and completely and unconditionally. To say it was life-changing would be an understatement.

I love this verse from our reading today…“Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom. Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits. Don’t let the rich brag of their riches. If you brag, brag of this and this only: That you understand and know me. I’m God, and I act in loyal love. I do what’s right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things. These are my trademarks.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭MSG‬‬‬)‬ It describes the old Doug and the new Doug so well. I used to be the guy who would boast in his wisdom. Boast in his strength. Boast in his success. But I knew deep down I was just covering for my insecurity. After meeting Jesus, I learned to boast only in Him. He became my security. He became my wisdom. He became my strength. Serving Him became my success. Learning to practice steadfast love and justice and righteousness in the earth became the goal of my life. After almost thirty years, I can say with confidence that my life is richer and more full that I could ever have imagined. I am wiser and stronger than I’ve ever been. I’ve experienced far more success than I ever deserved or could have achieved on my own. All because of Jesus.

It’s so tempting to boast in the things of this world. To get caught up trying to keep up with those around us. Compare ourselves to other people’s highlight reels on social media. Cover for our insecurities by chasing temporal wisdom, riches, success, or power. It’s so easy to spend our lives trying to find something…anything…to boast in. To base our self-esteem on our own abilities and accomplishments. But God wants so much more for us. God has so much more for us. If we will simply turn to Him and let Him in, He will do more than we can ever ask or imagine.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 13-16