“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” – Psalm 20:7

 

It’s finally starting to feel like spring in the Chicago area where I live with my family, which means my wife and I — along with all of our neighbors — have been out on the weekends getting our hands dirty, working in the garden or doing yard work.

We have several pairs of garden gloves sitting outside on our back patio. They are covered in dirt and fresh mulch, and they look like they’ve been hard at work.

But we all know the truth. Those gloves haven’t done a thing. The gloves haven’t pulled up weeds or pruned bushes or carried mulch. Those gloves are useless unless a real person sticks his or her hands inside and does the work.

That’s how we are in God’s hands. God is the one who empowers us to do things we can’t do on our own. It’s tempting to put our faith and trust in what we think we can accomplish. But the truth is, we can’t do anything without Him. We are basically a glove.

This is a truth we have to remind ourselves of daily in the church. I’m blessed to work with a talented staff at our church, and they can do a lot of things really well. We have incredible worship leaders, children’s ministry leaders, graphic designers, technical gurus, administrators and more. We also have made plenty of mistakes.

But it’s not about what I can do or what our staff can do or what the people at our church can do. It’s all about what God can do through you.

Psalm 20:7 is a verse that is a constant reminder to me to trust in God to do the work. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

The work we do isn’t about us. It’s not about our church, and it’s definitely not about me. We simply want to take advantage of any opportunity He gives us to glorify Him. We want to be that hard-working glove, ready to do the work, but empowered by Him.

I love this quote from J. I. Packer, which says it best: “Our high and privileged calling is to do the will of God in the power of God for the glory of God.”

In what areas of your life do you need to trust God to do the work? Are you putting too much faith in yourself to accomplish your goals or lead your family or succeed at work? God can do far more through you than you will ever accomplish on your own.