Finding True Security: Beyond the Idols of Comfort
What makes you feel safe? Is it locks on your door, a security system, a reliable car, or a roof over your head? Perhaps it’s having enough money in the bank, your retirement fund, or simply your couch with Netflix and a blanket.
Let’s try a fill-in-the-blank exercise: “If I have _______, then I feel secure.” How would you complete that statement? With a house? Family? A significant relationship? Financial stability?
The Deceptive Promise of Security Idols
At its core, an idol represents a lie we live by. The false belief that “if we have this one thing, everything else will be okay.” Yet paradoxically, the more we cling to these idols, the more anxious they make us feel.
Have you noticed that the more you depend on money for security, the more you fear not having enough? The more you worry about it being taken away? The things we consider markers of success, such as money, jobs, houses, skills, intellect, family, often become the very things we look to for security.
The Slow Drift from Faith to Self-Reliance
This transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow, continual drift. During crises, we cry out to God: “I don’t know what to do! I need you right now!” But when life feels safe and comfortable, our attitude shifts to: “I’ve got this figured out. I’m in charge. I’m perfectly fine on my own.”
In moments of crisis, we can clearly see God’s fingerprints at every step of our journey, how He orchestrated everything, strengthened us, and shielded us. But how easily we begin to forget as circumstances improve.
Why Do Security Idols Always Fail Us?
The idol of security promises peace but delivers fear. It promises that once you have “enough,” everything will be fine and your worries will disappear. But the opposite often proves true. The more we cling to these things, the more anxious we become about losing them.
Money itself isn’t bad. With it, you can provide for your family and give to those in need. Relationships are good things we were designed for. But when these good things begin to define us and our worth, they’ve crossed into idol territory.
What we’re really searching for is peace. We think we’ll find it in certainty, but true peace comes through prayer and God’s presence.
Is It a Gift or a God?
Most things we turn into idols aren’t inherently bad. The real question isn’t whether something is good or bad, but whether it’s a gift or a god in your life. Has it drifted from being a blessing to being what defines you and provides your sense of security?
King Asa’s Story: A Warning About Spiritual Drift
The Bible tells us about King Asa of Judah, whose story powerfully illustrates this drift from faith to self-reliance. Chronicles begins by telling us that “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord.” He removed idols, cut down Asherah poles, and commanded Judah to seek the Lord and obey His laws.
When massive armies came against Judah, Asa cried out to God: “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you.” In this moment of uncertainty and fear, Asa turned to God rather than his own strength.
For the first 35 years of his 41-year reign, there was peace in Judah. Asa consistently called the people back to God, even removing his own grandmother from political office because of her worship of false gods.
When Trust Shifts from God to Earthly Resources
But in the 36th year of his reign, when Israel stood against Judah, something changed. Instead of crying out to God as he had before, Asa took silver and gold from the Lord’s temple and his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, essentially hiring protection.
How could Asa do this after witnessing God’s protection against other nations? A prophet named Hanani confronted him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram will escape from your hands… For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing.”
Later, when Asa developed a painful disease, the writer of Chronicles notes that “even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord.” He died two years later, seemingly bitter about how his life turned out.
A Pattern We All Recognize
Asa’s story isn’t just his story; it’s Israel’s story too. We see this pattern throughout Scripture:
- Israel crossing the Red Sea with God’s protection, then wishing to return to Egypt
- God providing manna, yet the people hoarding it
- Jericho’s walls falling by God’s power, then Israel being defeated at Ai due to self-reliance
- The people receiving God’s law at Sinai, then worshiping a golden calf
- David trusting God against Goliath, then later counting his army instead of trusting God
If we’re honest, it’s our story too. We trust God completely in crisis, but as soon as we’re through to the other side, we begin relying on ourselves again.
The Foundation That Never Fails
Jesus concluded his Sermon on the Mount with the parable of two builders: one who built on rock and one who built on sand. Both had beautiful plans for a house, but the critical difference wasn’t in the walls or structure. It was the foundation.
You can build your security on retirement, bank accounts, or houses, but all of these are ultimately sand that will fail as a solid foundation. Jesus Christ is the rock. If you build your life upon Him and put your trust and hope in Him, He promises to never leave or forsake you.
Life Application
The question isn’t whether you’ll trust God when times are bad. The question is whether you’ll continue to trust and obey Him when times are good. For some of us, this is a wake-up call: “God, I’ve been drifting from crying out to you and needing you for everything, to thinking I have it all figured out on my own.”
For others who may be in difficult circumstances right now, uncertain about what tomorrow holds, remember: God is with you. He has not forsaken or abandoned you. He promises to be close to the brokenhearted.
Ask yourself these questions this week:
- What am I currently trusting for my security? Is it a gift from God or has it become a god to me?
- When was the last time I completely depended on God? What changed after that crisis passed?
- In what areas of my life am I trying to build security on sand instead of the rock of Christ?
- How can I practice trusting God daily, not just in emergencies?
This week, identify one area where you’ve been seeking security apart from God, and intentionally surrender it to Him through prayer. Remember that true peace comes not from certainty in our circumstances, but from certainty in God’s presence with us.