November 22, 2019 • Life for Leaders
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 20:7 (NIV)
Prayer:
Gracious God, sometimes it’s easier to trust in things I can see, things I can touch, things I can control. I don’t trust in chariots and horses, but I do put my confidence in technology, in careful planning, and in hard work. I trust the people in my life to be faithful and diligent, to follow through on their commitments.
Such acts of trust are not necessarily wrong, but they are wrong when they take the place of my trust in you. I confess that there are times – too many of them – when I rely on everything else but you. For too often, I lean mainly on myself. I think that if I just work hard enough, try hard enough, pray hard enough, and worry hard enough, that things will work out. Forgive me, Lord, for my misplaced trust.
Today I renew my trust in you, O God. I remember your trustworthiness in the past, your goodness piled up in my life, your mercy when I fail, your love that never lets me go. Yes, I trust you, Lord: with my work and my family, with my projects and my health, with my hopes and my fears, my longings and my losses. Thank you for being such a trustworthy God! Amen.
Ponder Throughout the Day:
You can trust in God because God is trustworthy.
Explore more at the Theology of Work Project online
commentary:
Trusting God in the Face of Institutional Pressure (Psalm 20)
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders, and the founder of the De Pree Center’s Flourishing in the Third Third of Life Initiative. Previously, Mark was the Executive Director of the De Pree Center, the lead pastor of a church in Southern California, and the Senior Director of Laity Lodge in Texas. He has written eight books, dozens of articles, and over 2,500 devotions that help people discover the difference God makes in their daily life and leadership. With a Ph.D. in New Testament from Harvard, Mark teaches at Fuller Seminary, most recently in his D.Min. cohort on “Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation.” Mark is married to Linda, a marriage and family counselor, spiritual director, and executive coach. Their two grown children are educators on the high school and college level.
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