Trusting in Christ Alone: A Lesson in True Dependence
One of the most important principles I learned early in my Christian journey was the necessity of placing my trust in Christ alone. Today’s Abide Above devotional reminded me of this critical truth. It’s a lesson that has shaped my faith deeply, teaching me to anchor my confidence not in man but in the unchanging and trustworthy character of God.
I remember a time when this lesson became real to me. As a young believer, I saw many in my church community celebrating a prominent leader for his faith and urging others to get behind him wholeheartedly. At first, I was caught up in their enthusiasm, but I couldn’t shake a sense of caution. Years earlier, even as an atheist attending church with my wife, I’d heard a pastor talk about the Bereans, who “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11), and the call to “test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). Though I lacked the Holy Spirit then, those principles resonated with me.
Now as a young Christian, those lessons resurfaced with even greater clarity: In Christ alone should my trust rest—not in any man, no matter how faithful or impressive he may seem.
The Cost of Misplaced Trust
Looking back, I see how misplaced trust in this leader had tragic consequences. His administration led us into an unnecessary war, resulting in countless deaths, shattered families, and devastated economies. Domestically, his decisions contributed to one of the greatest economic crashes since the Great Depression, leaving many in despair. These events serve as a sobering reminder of the cost of placing ultimate trust in human leaders instead of the perfect wisdom and sovereignty of God.
The lesson was personal for me as well. Disillusionment with leadership—whether political or spiritual—is painful, yet God used it as part of my spiritual education. As today’s devotional reminds us:
“It is a part of our spiritual education to discover the fallibility of those in whom we trust. The experience can be a very painful one, but it is most necessary for us to find out that everyone else but the Lord Jesus is a failure.” —H.F.
This truth, though difficult, is freeing. It protects us from placing undue confidence in fallible people and draws us closer to the One who never fails.
The Danger of Creature-Confidence
Scripture is clear about the danger of trusting in man:
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord’” (Jeremiah 17:5).
Our Father allows us to experience the failure of human leadership—not to harm us but to show us the emptiness of creature-confidence. As the devotional notes:
“Our Father will allow us to prove the vanity and folly of all creature-confidences, human hopes, and earthly expectations.”
These failures are painful, but they point us to the steadfast faithfulness of God. As Psalm 146:3-5 exhorts us:
“Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”
Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
The answer is not to live in cynicism or despair but to turn our gaze to Christ. Human failure highlights the sufficiency of Jesus, the only One who is utterly trustworthy. As today’s devotional beautifully states:
“You will never be transformed by continually looking at your own shortcomings, never! Nor will you ever be transformed by looking at the weaknesses of your fellow Christians. You will only be conformed by continually looking upon the glory of the Lord Jesus; for they who live looking and beholding, though they know it not, are ‘being changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.’”
The world’s brokenness, the failure of leaders, and even our own sins are not where we are called to fix our eyes. Instead, we are called to behold Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
Reflective Takeaways
Have you experienced disillusionment with human leaders? How did it impact your faith?
In what areas of your life are you tempted to place your trust in man rather than in Christ?
How can you intentionally fix your eyes on Jesus today?
A Prayer of Surrender
Father, thank You for being the only One worthy of our complete trust. We praise You for using every circumstance to reveal the emptiness of placing confidence in man and the fullness of trusting in You. May we respond to Your gentle drawing, fixing our eyes on Christ alone, who never fails. Let us rest in Your perfect sufficiency and reflect Your unshakable faithfulness to the world around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.