“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”
Oh really? Don’t these last two lines of William Ernest Henley’s Poem “Invictus” seem utterly stupid? Is he the author of his own life? No, God, the Creator is the author and sustainer of life.
Although there are many people who believe in their Creator, they may still be question whether God really cares about those he created. Is he one who can take all the details of our lives and mold them into something that makes sense?
God’s Word states that “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps”. There is nothing wrong in making plans but if we are honest, most of the time we are not in control to bring things about according to our plan. We are also told that “under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all”.
We are clearly not in control. One who is humble enough to admit that this is a good thing might also agree that God’s plans are far above (and much better, although not necessarily easier) for us. Even more amazing is the fact that God includes us in His story. That may be hard to believe when we are in the middle of events that do not make sense to us. However with the benefit of hindsight; we can often clearly recognize God’s hand at work. In HIS-story with Joseph and the people of Israel, we can see how even the hardships, unrighteous dealings and seemingly arbitrary situations were woven together to culminate in the rescue of the very brothers who had previously tried to kill Joseph. This is an interesting example of true events, orchestrated by the author and sustainer of life. You can read about it in the Book of Genesis, chapters 37-47. If you would like to see a contemporary example you might want to read the book “The End of the Spear” by Stephen Saint or watch the recently released movie by the same title.
No matter how you may feel about the chapters of your life, God will incorporate them into HIS story and they will tell others about HIS work in and through you.
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