When Your Honor Is On The Line

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Psalm 62:7

It was December and I was preparing for our annual planning meetings. This is easier to do when the year has been good and there is money in the bank. 

This particular year I was half expecting criticism from my colleagues because things were not as good financially as they could have been. I sensed that people were fatigued and were looking for a change. Before the meetings began I sought God and I comforted myself in the Lord, and this phrase is what turned it for me: “my honor depends on God.” Not on the Profit & Loss, not on the bank balance, not on external success, and not on the esteem of my colleagues, but on the Lord.

As it happens, it was not the most jovial of planning retreats. There was somewhat of an air of criticism. I led us through Psalm 62 and we pondered its meaning. Only afterward did I realize that people were critical, but of themselves, not of me. They had endured a tough year, but many wished they would have had more to show for their efforts. We were close to the edge of looking to our accomplishments to validate who we were, rather than looking to God to defend our honor.

Perhaps you are hard on yourself. You criticize your lack of productivity or accomplishment. If, on the other hand, you are quite content with what you do, others may criticize you for not caring enough about money, not providing for your loved ones, or not stewarding your career.

Friend, there will come a day when your honor is not dictated by the size of your bank balance, the newness of your car, or the title on your business card. There will be a time in each of our lives when we look as if a passing sparrow could cause our whole fence to collapse. There will be a time when your honor on earth is sapped. When our honor is on the line and we abide in God and are obedient to him, then our God stands on that same line to defend our honor. We can come to our own defense, or we can say with the psalmist, “he alone… my salvation and my honor depend on God.”

Reflections

• What steps can you take to make God your honor-keeper?

• What will you do when you get to the line and it seems he is not there yet?