Monday, June 30, 2008

Musings on Scripture

No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength
Psalms 33:16,17

I enjoy a good story, probably more than most. Just ask anybody who has seen how many books are crammed into my apartment. When I read I oftentimes get swept up into the drama of the story that I'm reading. This is especially true when I'm reading a good fantasy or science-fiction work by one of my favourite authors. However much I enjoy these tales though, I should remember that my life isn't scripted like a novel. My life isn't an adventure tale plotted by an imaginative human author. I am not a character in an epic story. My life is actually something better. My destiny is in loving the hands of the omnipotent, immortal, omniscient, all-powerful, loving Creator of the Universe.

I may enjoy reading the story of a kingdom saved by a hero in its hour of deepest need, but the real world does not revolve based on human strength. Behind every hero in scripture is the hand of God. God upholds the entire universe, the whole creation that he spoke into existence, only continues to exist at his sufferance because he consciously sustains it. As the psalmist said above armies, strength, and horses (perhaps money, influence, and technology today) are of no purpose if you seek to thwart God. His purpose will not be diverted or thwarted, no matter how much money you have, no matter how intelligent you are, no matter how much you've thought things through--he is God, and we (and I) are not.

~Matt