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Keep trusting in your riches and down you’ll go! But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.

Proverbs 11:28 (TPT) 

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

1 Timothy 6:17 

As we know, perfect vision is 20/20. I think the year 2020 also gave many of us a perfect vision…specifically about trusting in earthly things. Virtually everything we may have trusted in, other than God, was shaken—close friends, family, daily routines, health, jobs, celebrations, investments, cash flow, and other false securities too numerous to list. We all want to feel safe and impenetrable, but if we’re honest, the world breeds insecurity, and making money is one of its leading lies to make us feel confident. Because money does enable us to do a lot of things, we naively believe it has the power to save and protect us. If we aren’t intentional about growing our love relationship with God, we will have nothing to support us when money fails. 

So, what about putting our hope in God? What does that mean? Usually, and understandably, it looks like hoping that we will be spared loss, pain, and suffering. We hope God will intervene so that we don’t experience the hardship and heartache that is part of the human condition. The picture we have today is not that. Instead, it’s a vision of flowers that rise up in the spring. Imagine those early flowers coming up through the snow. The croci, hyacinth, tulips, and daffodils have endured the frigid temperatures of bitter winter and boldly break through the ground, leaning into the sun, brightening our world, and reflecting the faithful strength of God. This is the glorious power and freedom God invites us to live. Cultivating an intimate trust in God requires effort and doing so is the way to flourishing, even when the world falls apart.

Next Steps

• Make a habit every day of thanking God for what you have and asking Him to increase your trust in Him.
• Generosity is a way of acknowledging that our money belongs to God and demonstrates trust in His provision. This week, ask God to show you a need that you can meet and do it.
• Often, small habits enable us to grow our trust in God. Try to think of something you could do regularly that would increase your generosity. Some ideas are: buying an extra bag of rice every time you buy your own and donating it; putting a dollar toward The Dollar Club at Willow every Sunday; denying yourself a cup of coffee once a week and keeping track of that money to be given to a church or ministry.