Tuesday, January 6, 2009

whose strength & power?

Psalm 147: 10 The Lord takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. 11 No, His delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

We so often trust in our own strength, smarts, cleverness, & ability to "get the job done," & seldom really depend on God to come through. We act as if it's all up to us - God may will it, but we're the ones who make it happen.

(We believe that "God helps those who help themselves" - which, incidentally, is not a scripture verse!)

It isn't our strength that makes it happen - it's God who makes it happen.

How many times in my life, as a person or as a music minister, have I conceived something well, planned it out well, prepared for it well, & executed it well - yet, there was weak effect or response.

Yet when I step back & let God take over, depending on His power & favor, the results are always quite different, in ways far greater & much more far-reaching than anything I could have pulled off under my own steam.

I'm living this right now as I go downtown. It's so easy for me to depend on myself. I have so much more control that way. But as I walk into this, I have to keep telling myself that I can't do this downtown thing, but it's His idea, so He's gonna be the one who makes it happen - not me.

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