This morning my
monthly prayer journey through the Psalms brought me to Psalm 44:3 “Not by
their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance.” That
reminded me of these other passages that express this central biblical but
profoundly counter-cultural principle.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
Do not say to
yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your
God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.
1 Corinthians 4:7
What do you
have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if
it were not a gift?
That theme is reflected in a number of
Psalms and woven through the entire biblical
narrative.
Psalm 20:7 “Some take pride in chariots, and some in
horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.”
Psalm 33:16-17 “A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not
delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and
by its great might it cannot save.”
Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”
Psalm 146:3,5,7 “Do not put your trust in princes, in
mortals, in whom there is no help. … Happy are those whose help is the
God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, … who executes justice for the
oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.”
Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might, nor by power, but by my
spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
