Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!

Jeremiah 48:7

Jeremiah 48 contains God's judgment on the land of Moab, a region to the east of the Dead Sea. In the midst of this denouncement, the Lord says, “Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive” (48:7).

The Hebrew original of this sentence could be literally translated, ''Because of your trust in your works and your treasures, also you will be taken captive." Moab, which prided itself in its economic accomplishments, failed to put its trust in God. It dishonored and disobeyed him. Thus, Moab would be cut down by the sword of divine judgment.

Although our situation in life is vastly different from that of Moab, we need to ask ourselves where we put our trust. Even those of us who have placed our ultimate trust in the Lord can find it easy to start trusting other things as we live our lives each day. In time, our trust in the Lord begins to erode as we put more stock in our own efforts than in his strength.

I uncover the true center of my trust when I face an unexpected crisis or challenge. What is my reflexive response? Do I stop and pray, seeking God's help? Or do I press ahead harder, motivated by worry and my need to "fix" things?

When I trust God first and foremost, when I devote my whole life to his purposes, then my works are fruitful and my treasures are invested for an eternal return. Apart from the bedrock of this trust, however, my efforts accomplish little and my resources are squandered. Thus the sad example of Moab encourages us to trust the Lord with all that we have and all that we are.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What helps you to trust in the Lord when you encounter difficult obstacles in your life? What else vies for your trust? Your own works? Your treasures? Your family? Or . . .?

PRAYER: O Lord, I must confess a certain "Moabite" tendency to trust in my wealth and skill, my hard work and cleverness. Though I know in principle that I should put my trust in you, sometimes it just seems best to lean upon myself alone. I do seem to believe sometimes that if I think smart enough and work hard enough, then I can control my life and make everything turn out as I wish. Forgive me, Lord, for such arrogance, indeed, such folly.

As I work for your purposes, and even as I try to use my treasures in ways pleasing to you, may I offer all that I am and all that I have to you. May I entrust my whole life to you, so that you might be glorified through me. Amen.