“If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security. You will lie down, and none will make you afraid; many will court your favor.”

Job 11:13-19

Sweet friends, I spent a lot of years looking for security in all the wrong places: relationships, degrees, professional ladders, health, personal success, the success of my children…you name it, and I probably chased it for a time or at least gave it a glance. But time and time again, as good as those things were, they always came up short, and I always felt insecure and afraid.

Then, when I’d finally realized that there was no security in earthly things, I stretched out my hands to the One who secures all things.

And dear heart, what a growing period the past few months have been!

I don’t have all the words just yet to explain it, but when we place our hope in God and God alone, our perspective changes, our needs change, our relationships become healthier, our view of ourselves becomes healthier and more accurate. Just as we see in Job 11, our lives become brighter, even in the hard times. We are able to lift our faces without blemish knowing that God has secured us through Jesus Christ in this life and for all eternity (Philippians 4:19; John 3:16).

Beloved, it’s time to stop casting our eyes here and there and simply look up. It’s time to stretch out our hands to the Lord God Almighty for true and lasting security comes from God and God alone.