Some trust in chariots,
and some in horses:
but we will remember
the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 20:7
It was an early morning in November, 1976, when the LORD first impacted my life with the power of this verse. I was in my office reading the Psalms prior to leading an early morning Bible study for six other physicians at 7:00 AM that morning at Wesley Hospital. The night before we had stayed up late listening to the Presidential election results. It was a close race, and when we retired for the evening, no one knew whether Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford had won the election. As I read this verse in the Bible, the following interpretation seemed to leap off the page:
Some trust in Carter,
and some in Ford,
but we will remember
the name of the LORD.
The LORD was reminding me that my trust should be placed firmly in Him, rather than in the outcome of the election. It is seemingly easy to allow our trust to shift ever so gradually to those individuals who have some temporal power over our lives. This is true whether they are the President, Congress, our state or local government, employers, or the managers of our pension fund or Individual Retirement Accounts. Over the years, the “chariots and horses” that have competed for my trust have been many. Often I have come back to this verse and reminded myself that those who have determined my location of work, my work surroundings, my paycheck, the taxes we owe, the price of commodities, the retirement benefits are but “chariots and horses,” not worthy of my trust or dependence. The key to not placing my trust in these “chariots and horses” is to remember the name of the LORD our God.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10
Safety is found when we remember His name and trust Him as our safety. It is the LORD who says “At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. You alone are to be feared.” (Psalm 76:6-7) The LORD also tells us “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one and setteth up another.” (Psalm 75:6-7) Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the one whose dominion was referred to as the head of gold in the image seen by him and interpreted by Daniel, was driven from his throne and ate the grass of the field for seven years. At the end of this time, he lifted his eyes toward heaven and said of the Most High,
“His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and His kingdom endures from generation to generation,
And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
but He does according to His will in the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of earth;
and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him,
What hast thou done?”
Daniel 4:34-35
The One who is too loving to be unkind and too wise to ever make a mistake guides each detail of our lives as surely as He guides each detail in the world that affects our lives. Psalm 139 tells us that he hems us in behind and before, charts the path ahead of us and tells us where to stop and rest. It is by remembering His name that we are not led astray by “chariots and horses.”
Currently in our country we have two individuals from different political parties which represent “chariots and horses.” We should pray faithfully that the candidate who most closely follows God’s path will be elected, along with other like minded candidates for other positions in our government. We must also bear the responsibility as described in II Chronicles 7:14. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” We live in a country where we are privileged, not only to vote, but to actively support the candidate of our choice. Based on their personal beliefs (as best as can be determined) the parties’ platforms, and their vision for the future, we must vote carefully and responsibly. Having done so, we need to remember that they are, after all, but “chariots and horses.” Proverbs 21:1 states “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a water course wherever he pleases.”
Isaiah lived in times not unlike those we are in today. The country was without direction. The King was removed from the throne of power due to leprosy. We read in Isaiah that it was a time of disillusionment, depravity, and dereliction of duty. Yet Isaiah related a remarkable vision to us in Chapter 6.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord
seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the
train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were
seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they
covered their face, with two they covered their feet
and with two they were flying. And they were calling
to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD
Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”
Isaiah 6:1-3
The throne in Israel was absent, but stretching above it into eternity was another throne. The One who occupied this throne was high and exalted. To Him belonged every throne, every person, every molecule in the universe. Each of them were under His sovereign dominion. Each of them were not able to step one iota out of His governance by the perfection of His Holiness with the result of His glory being manifest in the earth. One day all creation will bow at His feet and proclaim Him LORD. It is to that end that His Sovereign rule governs. Those who remember the Lord their God are able to see this throne overarching and controlling every other throne of mankind.
“Some trust in chariots,
and some in horses:
but we will remember
the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 20:7
We have a choice in whom we place our trust. We can trust in those representing “chariots and horses,” or we can trust in (remember the name of) the LORD our God. Which one we trust makes a tremendous difference in our lives.
It is the difference between peace and anxiety.
It is the difference between confidence and uncertainty.
It is the difference between hope and despair.
May the LORD our God lead you in peace, confidence, and hope as you remember His name.
In Christ,
Richard Spann