Musing 14

Though this world tempts us in so many to look away from God, the Westminster Catechism reminds us “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

I owe much to the ministry of John Piper who helped me really meditate on what it means to enjoy God. Because of the modern American milieu, too often prayer is intentionally and unintentionally portrayed as the proverbial quarter to put into a vending machine.

Prayer, especially in Jesus name brings us to the source of all good, and yet we too often, even as Christians, settle for the material things. And it’s hard not to.

Especially when we feel the weight of responsibility for caring for loved ones. Having a roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back makes many anxieties go away quickly, and fearing for those is a quick way to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. It is so easy to look towards those material things for comfort and security.

And yet, thieves, rust, a bad boss, a financial market crash, or sickness so easily puts those things at risk. To place our ultimate trust in those things will do nothing but increase our anxiety as we are forced to realize how much is out of our control.

Jesus instead calls us to look the source of all security and to His kingdom first. And only then shall the provision we need from our heavenly Father come. Though there may be times when it is a hard provision, it will come.