Men and Horses

What happens when you trust in men and horses instead of trusting in God?

“The Egyptians are human and not God … their horses are flesh and not spirit; so the LORD will stretch out His hand, and any helper will stumble, and one who is helped will fall … All of them will come to an end together.”—Isaiah 31:3 NASB

To ancient Israel, Egypt—a nation with enormous resources and a powerful army—often seemed to be the picture of strength. At times, Israel feared Egypt as an enemy. Other times, Egypt seemed like a savior.

But God reminded Israel not to look to Egypt to rescue them from their problems. Egypt’s resources might make them seem invincible, but to the Lord, they were nothing but mere mortals without any superhuman strength. Truly, He was more powerful than the Egyptians or any other force on earth.

Like Israel, we can be tempted to rely on the resources of this world to solve our problems. It’s all too easy to rely on people, governments, businesses, armies, or wealth. We too often depend on the flesh and trust in the things we can see. But as God reminded Israel, none of these earthly resources will last. Instead, we need to trust in Him.

When we rely on God, we realize that His Spirit is mightier than the flesh, which inevitably will fail. The Holy Spirit never fails. When God simply stretches out His hand, the impossible becomes possible.

The world today is an unstable place. Many people are afraid and worried, looking for answers from authors, scientists, politicians, celebrities, TV shows, and movies.

Remember the lesson God taught Israel: Do not hope in the things of this world. If you want stability and victory, trust in God alone!

Reflection Question: What have you been trusting in instead of trusting in God?