Master of my fate? Really?

So, this morning my husband sent me this email he received and in it had a scripture from the B-I-B-L-E. I am sure I will blog about it when I get home, this evening. Anyway, I want to share the scripture with you, because I think it will help to put some things in perspective for you as it did for me when I read it. I’m not trying to be hypocritical, but sometimes I too believe that I am the “master of my fate, the captain of my soul” – William Earnest Henley and all the success I’ve achieved, I achieved because I did, what I considered to be “all the right things.” God says something different. You can read what he says in Psalms 20. I came upon this devotion that explains things in simplicity ( I thought it to be really profound) and I hope you read it in its entirety, because yesterday’s events were a testament to achieving our dreams when we recognize our own humility and acknowledge the favor of God.

*disclaimer: these are my beliefs, so after reading the intro, if you don’t get it or don’t view it the same way, it’s okay to stop reading

Pslams 20

If we just believe in ourselves we can do anything. To prove this point we parade out our list of famous people who have “pulled themselves up from their own bootstraps.” But David recognized an entirely different reality in life. He would not recognize what masquerades as conventional wisdom, even in some Christian circles. It is the Lord alone who can truly help us in the day of trouble (v.1). The only “sure thing” in life isn’t a blue-chip stock, a strong national defense, or education, it is that God would set us securely on high. Many of us boast of our “track records” with far less impressive of a resume than David. One of the greatest warriors and military leaders to ever live understood that his victories were a result of something God was doing, more than something he was doing. His humility wasn’t ornamental; it was the real way he understood his life and his God.

We are told almost from infancy to “chase our dreams.” They are ours to catch, or lose. David would have laughed at such a view. Our heart’s desire, our purpose for living, can only be fulfilled and realized through Him. David recognized what we often don’t, that God is sovereign, that He alone can grant us our hearts desire and lead us to His perfect purpose for us (v.4).

Who saves us when we are in trouble? Social Security? A solid investment portfolio? A strong national defense? It is so easy to trust in what seem like the pillars of a strong society. Yet, all these can crash. The roaring 20’s gave way to the Great Depression. The mad dash for wealth and financial security led to the great stock market crash. The Maginot line protecting France from Germany, considered impregnable, was bypassed in hours by the invading German army. The Great Atlantic wall, designed by the wily German general Rommel to keep the Allies from landing in France, was breached in hours .

There is only one safe place to put our trust, and that is in the name of our God (v.5). Those whom God loves, He protects, and ultimately saves. The only place to make a perfectly guaranteed investment is in heaven. It is the only place that is not vulnerable to the ebb and flow of the future and catastrophe’s of this world, where moth and rust destroy.

David, a man skilled in war, a leader of armies and countless campaigns says, some boast in chariots, and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God (v.7). Chariots and horses can bow and fall down (v.8), but those whose trust is in the Lord do not.

Too often, what we call trust and faith is little more than a thinly disguised lie. We don’t really believe God has given us all we have, we are the ones who so very wisely took care of ourselves. We acquired the necessary skills, we have the pre-requisite drive to succeed, we made the shrewd investment, we responded correctly to the calamity, and that is why we are where we are today. The human belief in self sufficiency is so firmly rooted in most of us, that faith and trust in God is merely a religious nod we give to cover our bases, spiritual insurance, just in case we may have received a bit more help somewhere than we realized.
Like Nebuchadnezzar, who could only see his position in his world as a result of his own efforts, we are modern Nebuchadnezzar’s (Daniel 4:29-37). The truth is that the best of us are no more than turtles on a fence post. In the country, when you see that sight, you are certain of one thing, he didn’t get there by himself, someone put him there.

Who gets the credit in your life for your accomplishments? Not the patronizing credit we so glibly give at church “God has been good to me,” which frequently we say without believing in any case, but the real credit. In your heart of hearts, who do you credit with all your success and the success of any decisions or actions you have taken? When Nebuchadnezzar forgot who put him where he was, God knocked him off the fence for seven years. He grazed in the field like an animal. When God led him to regain his senses, he saw the fence post more clearly, and said so.

What will it take to bring you to your senses? Success does not breed wisdom, humility does.