Captain of Our Soul

"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.  My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.  O my people, trust in Him at all times.  Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge."  Psalm 62:5-8 (NLT)


We live in a world that subscribes to the theory that we are the captains of our own destiny.  While there is certainly consequence for our actions and we are responsible for our own choices and decisions - to think that we create our own future is false.  If we are blessed with health, a nurturing family and prosperity - it is by the grace of God.  Our good choices along the way certainly help but no one has control over to whom we are born, and what country we are raised.  We do not control a million circumstantial elements in our lives that impinge upon us.  We can only control our response to such circumstances.  All of this is stated as a precursor to dissecting the cultural thought process that if were are the captain of our souls we must make things happen.  Such an attitude can easily lead to selfish pursuits like pushing our way to the top for the sake of being number one and a host of other self-centered things.  In other words, if we are the "captains of our souls" then it is all about us.  And that where that line of thinking goes haywire. It is never all about us.


What I love about the above Psalm is that it models quietly waiting before the Lord and understanding that the battles in our lives will be won by the strength and power we find in Him.  There is such great relief when we realize our destiny is not all about what we do, but what He does from within us as we trust in Him, wait on Him and seek His direction.  He is a God of refuge who can be trusted with every hope, dream and desire in our hearts.  Oh, Jesus, the captain of our souls. 


"Yes, He knows what is best for me.  My environment is of His determining.  He means it to intensify my faith, to draw me into nearer communion  with Himself, to ripen my power...Yet let me believe that , if difficulties remain, it is that I may learn to trust Him all the more implicitly  - to trust and not be afraid."  - Mrs. Charles E. Cowman -