Helpless Without God

I don't know about you, but I love to see God's truth expressed in the "hands-on" aspects of life. I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy abstract theological discussions as much as anyone, but I beleive God's Word was given for us primarily to demonstrate as opposed to debate.

I was reminded of this again this morning in my reading from a few verses in Psalm 44. For example, verse 1 says, "God, we have heard with our ears - our forefathers have told us - the work YOU accomplished in their days..." (HCSB, emphasis added). Also, verse 2 explains, "[T]o plant them, YOU drove out the nations with YOUR hand; to settle them, YOU crushed the peoples" (HCSB, emphasis added). Again, verse 3 reads, "For they did not take the land by their sword - their arm did not bring them victory - but by YOUR right hand, YOUR arm, and the light of YOUR face, for YOU were pleased with them" (HCSB, emphasis added).

Are you getting the picture? I think it's pretty obvious, but let's keep going for just a little bit longer...

Verse 4 plainly teaches, "YOU are my King, my God, who ORDAINS victories for Jacob" (HCSB, emphasis added). And now check-out the clarity of verse 5: "Through YOU we drive back our foes; through YOUR name we trample our enemies" (HCSB, emphasis added). Lastly, just in case we missed it, the Psalmist wraps-up verses 6-8 with the obvious point that God alone is our hope: "For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory. But [note the contrasting conjunction here] YOU give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced. We boast in GOD all day long; we will praise YOUR name forever" (HCSB, emphasis added).

So the point here is pretty plain, right? God alone is our Hope, Strength, Victory, Shield, Fortress, Power, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, Shepherd, Shelter, Strong Tower, etc. In a word, God is our EVERYTHING! Jesus says that without Him we can do NOTHING (see John 15:5). I once heard a guy explain that "nothing" is a zero with the rim knocked off of it. Now that's nothing!

If you want to catch just one little historical glimpse of what this looked like in Israel's conquest, for instance, read Joshua 10:1-14. In these fourteen verses, we find a reference to Jericho in verse 1. By the way, who demolished the walls of Jericho as Israel shouted? God did. The Israelites didn't build a seige ramp nor use a battering ram to break through the walls. Also, notice what verse 11 says: God sent hailstones on the fleeing enemy, and more of the opposition was killed by the hailstones than the swords of Israel! Isn't this an obvious reference to the fact that God was fighting this battle? Lastly, after we read how God held the sun still for a while, the end of verse 14 simply reads, "Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel" (NIV)!

So let me close this blog with a simple but probably obivous question at this point: Who or what are you really trusting in today?

I read a statement a long time ago in The Complete Green Letters that I never forgot. I'm not sure I'm quoting it verbatim, but this is very close if it isn't exact: "To be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself."

WOW! Everytime I read or remember this quote, I'm convicted of how much I do rely on myself - my strength, my wisdom, my training, my personality, my resources, my, my, my!

God, help me grow and consistently live according to the truth of Your Word: Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (NIV).

May we live this day and everyday completely, consistently, and joyfully dependent on the Lord for His glory alone!

Blessings...