Sometimes we place expectations on those around us that are far too high. We give them a place in our hearts that’s so big they cannot possibly fill it. We ask them to carry a burden for us that they cannot possibly lift.

People, after all, are sinful. And they are just plain human. They have human weaknesses, human foibles, and human shortcomings. Being sinners, every human being will transgress and fail to love God, or love us, as faithfully as they should.

Out of our own neediness, we place expectations on people that they’re unable to bear, and we create idols. We take good things and make them ultimate things. And in the end, we inevitably wind up disappointed, angry, frustrated and hurt.

The antidote? Stop trusting the “power people” in your life for things that they cannot possibly provide.

Much as you might wish they could, no person can bring you eternal love. Or eternal hope. They cannot provide you with eternal faithfulness or forgiveness. They will not be able to deliver eternal joy. And especially, they will never be able to give you eternal life.

Don’t fall into the trap of placing much too high of an expectation on people — even those you might feel sure that you can really trust. You will simply be setting yourself up for huge disappointment. Because there is only One who can meet our needs and fulfill our desires. And there is only One who is fully and forever trustworthy.

God alone.

He is your Maker, your Helper, your Redeemer. Your Savior. He remains faithful forever. His love never dissolves or disappoints.

“Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever” (Psalm 146:3-6, NIV).

Lord Jesus, thank you for your faithful love. I can only truly find it in you. I need that love — the only love that never, ever dissolves or disappoints.

Our Bible reading for Wednesday, December 23, is Ezra 10:1-44, Revelation 14:14 – 15:8 and Psalm 146:1-10.

Header image based on "Do not put your trust in princes..." by db Photography, CC By 2.0