Dust In The Wind

Psalm 146:3-6: "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-the LORD, who remains faithful forever."


When I was reading these verses, I was reminded of the progressive rock band, Kansas, and their 1977 hit "Dust in the Wind." I also was reminded of the bad but humorous movie, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, when Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter share their presumed sagacity with the words, "All we are is dust in the wind . . . dudes."

The Bible tells us that we are not merely dust in the wind, for we have received the LORD's live-giving breath, making us a living being with an eternal soul (see Genesis 2:7).

Still, there is some truth to our being "spiritualized dirt." The Psalmist above reminds us that if we think too highly of ourselves or others, and determine to put our trust in man rather than in God, we're going to find ourselves in trouble. For we know that when the day of our death comes, all of us will return to the place from which we were made . . . the dirt. And when we return to the ground physically, our spirit will depart for the presence of the LORD to be judged by the One and Only Righteous King (see Ecclesiastes 12:7; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27).

We must never forget that man is mortal and has no power within himself to bring eternal life. Only the One True God can bring such privilege to us, if we would surrender to Him alone as our Lord and Savior. This is why the Psalmist in 146:5 tells us that the man who yields to God in hope and finds help in Him is blessed. This man's faith is anchored in the right object, namely the Sovereign, Supreme King of all things . . . who is Creator of all things . . . and who rules over all things in glorious power. And what is so encouraging for us is that the Creator "remains faithful forever." For those yielded to Christ, the LORD promises to be faithful to His covenant that He will redeem us, giving us eternal life; He also promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 9:28; 13:5).

If we find ourselves basking in our own pride or putting our ultimate hope and confidence in others, let us be reminded that we are mere dirt, that has been given life by God. Let us be reminded that with physical death, we will become dirt again physically, until the day of our physical resurrection. The only true source of life is found in God alone. Let us seek him with a spirit of humility and reverential fear, for we can know that God will be faithful to us and He will lift our "dirt-oriented" lives to life immortal.