We all want security — the state of being free from danger or threat – in our lives. It is good to have that peace of mind, to feel secure about our families, works, and relationships.
Some people think that wealth can provide security, and, for this reason, they work very hard, spending their lives for this pursuit of worldly riches.
However, Paul wrote to Timothy an essential principle that still applies to us today: “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17).
Security is strongly related with trust. Whom do we trust? God, money, or ourselves?
In the Old Testament, the LORD revealed to Jeremiah that man can be cursed or blessed depending on whom he trusts: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord… But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence” (Jeremiah 17:5,7).
As we trust in the Lord, we put our security in Him. We have confidence in the power of His love. We trust that we are safe in His loving hands. Therefore, we can commit our lives and surrender our plans to Him.
There are at least four important aspects with respect to our security in the Lord.
1. The Lord Gives Us Security for All Our Needs
Paul confidently said: “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). We may not always get our wants, but in Christ Jesus, we can be sure that God faithfully provides all our needs.
Even more, He will never fail us nor abandon us! (Hebrews 13:5). And Jesus made it clear that He has come to give us abundant [rich and satisfying] life (John 10:10).
2. The Lord Gives Us Security from Evil and Calamity
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to the heavenly Father: “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). It is God’s will that we, as His beloved children, are safe from evil and calamity.
This truth is best revealed in Psalm 91 — the safety of abiding in God’s presence. God’s favor to His people brings about prosperity and security (Jeremiah 33:6).
3. The Lord Gives Security in Our Relationship with Him
All who believe and receive Jesus Christ are given the privilege to become God’s beloved children. Through Christ, we can experience the unconditional love of the heavenly Father (John 1:12). This is a permanent, everlasting relationship because nothing can ever separate us from His love.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
As a good Father, God not only expresses His love through blessings but also oftentimes through discipline. He is not only concerned with our comfort (indeed, He is our Comforter), but even more also our character. His blessings give us happiness, while His discipline imparts to us holiness.
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in (Proverbs 3:11-12).
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline — then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:5-11).
4. The Lord Gives Security in His Promise of Our Eternal Salvation
This truth about the security of every believer’s salvation has been boldly revealed by Jesus Himself: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).
To believe that our salvation is eternally secure is to have confidence in God’s preserving power, i.e., that He is able to fulfill His promise (Titus 1:2), to complete what He has begun (Philippians 1:6). Salvation is made possible by God’s grace through Christ’s redeeming work and made secure by the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in every believer.
What Does This Mean?
We can fully trust our security in the Lord only after we know our identity in Christ Jesus. As we believe in Him, we become God’s children and that means our heavenly Father takes total care and full responsibility for our lives as we surrender to Him.
Therefore, we can believe that He is able to provide all our needs, protect us from evil and calamity, and preserve our love relationship with Him and the eternal salvation He has promised. Putting our security in the Lord means resting in the power of His love.
For further reading:
Can a Christian Lose Salvation?
When Things Go Wrong, Lean into the Security Found Only in God
Can Nothing Really Separate Us from the Love of God?
Does God Hold Us in the Palm of His Hand?
What Does it Mean That God Is Able?
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/enginakyurt
Philip Wijaya, Ph.D. currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Sandra, and their daughter, Shalom. His interest in science and faith in God has motivated him to actively write in his personal blog (philipwijaya.com), in addition to his professional research work in the area of clean energy and chemical engineering. In his leisure time, he enjoys sports, football games, music, and traveling with family.
