Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.
Psalms 20:7‭-‬8 ESV

There is a difference between a person who places his trust in the Lord and a person who places his trust somewhere else, but the difference is not whether he stands or falls;  the difference is whether he collapses or gets back up.

This passage reminds us there are at least two qualities  believers and non-believers have in common: we all face battles and we all fall. Regardless of where we place our allegiance (to God or elsewhere),  we will all have to fight and we will all mess up more than once.  There is no one who is perfect, and there is no one who will make it through life struggle free. Even the “best Christian we know” will mess up more than once and be forced to face some ugly circumstances.

The key to victorious living is not the absence of conflict; it’s the powerful presence of our God and our Savior Jesus Christ. We cannot fight in our own strength; and we certainly shouldn’t trust in it. Yes, horses and chariots can be used for battle, but even if we use them, we must remember the battle belongs to the Lord.

If we do life placing our trust in things and in people, when those mess ups happen and those battles come–and believe me, they will happen and they will come–we will have nothing to hold onto. People and things are like sand; they blow with the wind and collapse in the storms. Have you ever seen a wave wash over a sand castle? The same goes for the one who builds his life upon an unstable foundation. No one and no thing on this earth could ever provide the foundation necessary to help us get back up when the world knocks us down.

The only firm foundation is not of this world; the only firm foundation is Jesus.

Here is what we must remember as we go forth each day: the focus of our trust does not necessarily mean we will not fall and we will not have to fight; the focus of our trust does, however, determine, what happens when we fall and when we fight. Again, we all fall. We all sin. We all say or do the wrong thing more than once in our lives. Yet when we place our trust in the Lord, we can know we will get back up. We can know we will rise. We can know we will stand upright again.

Our trust in the Lord doesn’t determine our ability to remain standing; it determines our ability to get back up. So if you have recently messed up, or if you are currently fighting the fight of your life, place your trust in God. And if you have not messed lately, and your life appears struggle free, then praise God, but keep trusting. The time will come when someone or something trips you up. The time will come when you hear that battle cry. Yet if you have made the Lord your trust, then you will also soon see His hand reaching out to pull you up–to draw you out of that miry clay. You will rise. You will stand back up. But you won’t succeed in your own strength. For the battle belongs to the Lord.

Your salvation comes from the Lord.

So trust in Him today. Believe in Him today. And know that with God as your trust, you will rise and you will stand upright again. You will. But don’t trust me. Trust Him.