Please Don’t Put Your Faith in Me

Have mercy upon me, O God! According to Your loving kindness! According to the multitude of Your tender mercies! Blot out my transgressions! Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin! –Psalm 51:1-2 (NKJV)

“Please don’t put your faith in me. One thing I can promise is I’m going to make a mistake or let you down. I don’t want to let you down, but inevitably, I’m going to say the wrong thing. I’m going to make a decision you adamantly disagree with. I’ll probably step on your toes or hurt your feelings, so please don’t put your faith in me. Put your faith in Jesus Christ.”

When I was a pastor, I articulated some form of this promise from the pulpit. I can honestly say, it’s a promise I kept every year. I remained faithful to my wife, my family, and my church, but despite my best efforts, someone was disappointed or felt like I had let them down.

I’ve been thinking about how we Christians often feel so let down. How we feel betrayed, bewildered and/or bitterly disappointed when another Christian lets us down. We may see someone fall from grace (not God’s Grace of course, but ours). Our shock, anger and disappointment seem to worsen when that individual is a well-respected leader in the church (especially ours), a celebrity entertainer, or well-known theologian. Often we focus on the failure first and forgiveness last.

Recently, another highly regarded high profile Christian recording artist confessed and issued a public apology for his immoral misconduct. He admitted to a “double life” of “reckless and destructive behavior.” I worshipped with him on Easter. I live-streamed his performance. I featured him in our media. I asked God the same questions I always ask. “Will his behavior hurt Your Church? Will Your chosen lose faith? Will it prevent Your children from asking Jesus to come into their heart?” I got the answer I always get, “only for those who worshipped the singer more than the Savior.”

As Ecclesiastes 1:9 promises, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Roughly three thousand years ago, another highly regarded high profile singer/song writer let God’s people down. His immoral misconduct destroyed families and led to a trail of physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. (Doesn’t it always?) Ultimately, this poet and writer of psalms issued an apology and repented, writing some of the most prolific prose in the Bible, Psalm 51. This psalms writer was King David.

Undoubtedly, this current Christian celebrity’s sin and biblically immoral misconduct will destroy families and lead to a trail of physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. Once again, I will be disappointed, but more saddened. Once again, I will be reminded of what I have often proclaimed, “Please don’t put your faith in anyone else other than Jesus Christ.”