Thriving on Insecurity

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace.
-Daniel 4:4

We’ve all been there. Those moments in life when you’re sailing along smoothly and then wham!, you suddenly find yourself thrashing about in the “in between”: in between jobs, in between relationships, in between an old idea of yourself and a new one. And its darned uncomfortable. Security has always been the objective, the holy grail. You know what I’m talking about: social security, national security, personal security, job security, financial security, and the list goes on. In America, we are bombarded by this ideal that we need security, and that we should do everything we can to attain it. I’ve always suspected, however, that this is not God’s design for the lives of his children. And recently, it’s been brought to my attention more than ever before.

To their detriment, I think many people don’t realize that all those “securities” they’ve worked so hard for are, if not defunct, at least a little iffy. And unlike your insurance policy or lifetime warranty on your latest major purchase, in life, there are no guarantees. The world fools us into thinking we need every earthly comfort and luxury to be content, but in the end, all of those things will only leave us wanting more.

"Soon we grow insecure with our present means of security and demand something more... or something different. All this world and its inhabitants can offer us is a false sense of security."

Much like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, we may feel content and even prosperous for a while. But if you keep reading, it’s not long before just as he is on the roof of his palace admiring is kingdom (“while the words were still in the king’s mouth!), that Ol’ Nebby is put in his place when heaven declared that his kingdom was departed from him, he was driven from men, and his dwelling be with the beasts of the field. With one breath Babylon, the greatest kingdom to date, is relinquished!

The good news is that God offers us a security that is truly lasting and resilient against the toughest circumstances. The truth is, our world will shake at times. God designs it that way so that we may see what is real. That is why, contrary to worldly viewpoints, I believe that some insecurity in life is purposeful and profitable… and we can thrive because of it.

“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken-that is, things that have been made-in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:26-29