WINNING THE LOTTERY (Psalm 30:6, 7)

6 When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken." 7 O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. (NIV)

One of my favorite t-shirts reads “God, let me prove to you that winning the Lottery won’t ruin me.” But, I know better and God knows me well enough to also know better. In verse six of today’s reading, the psalmist hints at the dangers of self-sufficiency. When we’re prosperous and everything seems to be going right we begin to think we got there solely because of our abilities and our own doing. Pride, arrogance and independence start to take root. We forget the One who poured out the blessings, who gave us our talents, skills and gifts. So God gives us a reality check. See verse seven, “You hid your face.” Read it again...slowly. Close your eyes and repeat the verse to yourself, making a picture in your mind. Now imagine how it would feel to have your spouse, your parent, your child - someone you love deeply - refuse to look at you or allow you to see their face, to look into their eyes. When we begin to think we don’t need God, he gives us a taste of what that would really be like. He hides his face from us. He lets us experience his absence so we are reminded of how lonely, how empty, how fragile and dependent on Him we truly are. After all, we don’t need to win the lottery. We already have.