Psalm 44:6-7 I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.

People have a bad tendency to rely on their tools, rather than on the God who provided them. The problem is, tools fail. More importantly, we fail. However, God never fails, either in the sense of running out or in the sense of being defeated. God calls for our cooperation and our commitment, but He does the “heavy lifting,” so to speak. We forget that to our peril. One look at America at this point is enough to make a Christian weep, with so little honor and so much downright antagonism being directed at God. The ratios Abraham pressed the Lord for (Genesis 18:16-33) come to mind, because otherwise, America would have been destroyed quite some time back. The phrase in Psalm 36:1 (which was in the reading for the 11th) comes to mind: “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” As the Bible says repeatedly, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and America is being very foolish. However, that attitude is hardly limited to America, and governments and economies are toppling all over the world at this point. People are relying on almost anything but God, and it’s getting them nowhere. Governments have been fostering reliance on them, creating dependent populations, and now those governments are collapsing under the weight of the debt they have piled on themselves. That’s embarrassing to say the least, to use the expression in this passage. Reliance on God, and repentance of an independent spirit, is the only answer.

I’ve just had a mild touch of training in this area, with my main computer seeming to flip out on me. However, when I set it aside and went about the tasks God had for me, the problem cleared up without any intervention on my part. I certainly have as much temptation to trust in tools as anyone, and my yielding to that temptation has caused me, and others, a great deal of completely unnecessary grief. I am not to fail to use the tools God provides, but my reliance must be on Him rather than on the tools, and certainly not on me. I have demonstrated my personal unreliability more times than I care to think about! However, when I am relying on God, then my actions become dependable by reflection, and He is glorified. As the hymn says, “I would be true, for there are those who trust me.” To do that, I’ve got to rely on the only One who is totally reliable.

Father, thank You for Your patience and faithfulness in continuing to teach and train me how to be Your child. Help me grow at the speed You desire, so that I may be fully useful to You as Your son and servant, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!