While I was in seminary, my wife Amy & I lived in Louisville, Kentucky for a couple years.  And very quickly we realized 2 things:  1) Louisville is pronounced “Loo – UH – vul” & not “Loo – EE – ville” & 2) The Kentucky Derby is the biggest event of the year.

People would fly in from all over the country for this one weekend each year.  Many rich & famous people would flock to the area.  But everyone would participate.  It is almost like the Super Bowl in that people would have Derby Parties in their homes & dress up & have food & gather around the television to watch the Kentucky Derby each year.  There were festivities & big hats galore.

It was a lot of fun!  But one thing it always reminded me of was this verse from Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” David is saying (singing) about how there’s no other power or hope that we will put our trust in besides the name of Yahweh himself – the God of the Universe.

And when I think about how so many people bet so much of their money on these horses in the Derby – hoping, praying that they would come through for them – I think about how Jesus is the only one we can ‘bet’ our lives on who won’t let us down.  In our tumultuous political climate, we see that many are trusting in the chariot of a particular ‘political candidate’ to make things right again.  In our day to day lives, we are tempted to trust in the horse of ‘financial stability’ or ‘relational fidelity’ or ‘physical capability’. So many are giving themselves heart & soul to the hope of many ‘good’ things that have been allowed to become ‘ultimate’ things.

But the truth of Psalm 20:7 is this: Go ‘all in’ on Jesus.  Take the risk.  Bet everything you have, your eternity even, on the fact that he is worth it, that he really is who the Bible says he is, that he is the only one who will never let you down.  The power & grace & salvation he brings are beyond our imagination. And the rewards are so much greater than the riches you might win in a horse race.  The victory is one that outlasts a politician or a job or a spouse or whatever else you are tempted to give your life for.  That is what faith in the Gospel is all about.

Where do you need to step out today?  What financial or relational or physical worry is keeping you from going ‘all in’ for the life that Jesus wants you to live?  He’s worth it. I promise.