Some Trust In--Toyotas?

Some trust in chariots and some in
horses,
but we trust in name of the LORD
our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
Psalm 20.7-8

Most of us come to depend on a lot of “things,” and there are usually some people we rely on and trust. But, sooner or later, all such misplaced confidence, and it is all misplaced, leads to a collapse and fall, just as the Psalmist declared.

Think about it, how many mornings do we rush out, jump in the car, turn the key, and simply count on the engine starting and the vehicle reliably delivering us to work or school or whatever our destination safely? Up until a week or so ago people who drove Toyotas had fairly good reason to trust in their Camrys, and up until yesterday they could rely on their Priuses. But no more.

I don’t mean to wag a finger at Toyota drivers. My family used to have a Ford minivan we called “Old Reliable” because of all the many miles it carried us without any mechanical or safety problems. At least until it developed brake trouble that countless trips to a mechanic failed to resolve.

It does not matter if it is our Toyota or our Ford, our PC or our Mac, our bonds or our stocks, our company or our government, our friends or even our family, placing too much trust in anything or anyone other than God is a mistake. And mistakes are always costly. Sometimes the cost may be small, and sometimes, as Toyota is finding out, they can involve millions, even billions of dollars. Worse, sometimes misplaced trust can be fatal.

But when we place our trust in the Lord, we have a secured ourselves to the Rock that will never be moved, we take refuge in the Fortress that will never be torn down, we come under the care of the Shepherd willing to lay down his own life for the sake of his sheep, we are bound by love to the One who will never leave or forsake, or disappoint us.

I empathize with all the angry, disappointed, and frustrated Toyota drivers caught up in the recalls. And my heart goes out to everyone who may have voted for a candidate in whom they had great hopes, only to learn that, as with all politicians, it is foolish in the extreme to place too great a hope in any man or woman and their campaign promises. If Peyton Manning’s arm was your confidence heading into Sunday’s Super Bowl, sorry. But all of us can know the security of salvation and the unshakable hope of eternal glory in Jesus Christ, all it takes is our confession of our great need of him, faith no greater than a mustard seed, and trusting him, and only him, completely.