Leave the Results to God.

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” – Proverbs 21:31 NLT

I come from the do-it-yourself generation. We are self-sufficient, independent free agents who don’t need anyone or anything in our lives. We have been trained to pick ourselves up by our own boot straps and deal with our problems on our own. We have been taught to gut it up and get it done. Even as believers we tend to have a lone wolf mentality that discounts our need for others, including God. Even our spiritual formation is our job. It is all up to us. And some of us have gotten really good at living the Christian life without God. But at the end of the day, we have got to learn that the victory belongs to the Lord. It is all up to Him. We cannot live the Christian life without His help or apart from His strength. Even all the pithy proverbs we have been reading are impossible to live out apart from Him. We can’t find wisdom without Him. We will never have understanding apart from Him. We will never really experience true success in life without God’s help. It is impossible to be godly without God.

So, do we have our role to play in all of this? Sure. Just as verse 31 says, you have to prepare the horse for battle. You have to get ready for what is headed your way, but you also have to recognize that the outcome is completely up to God. We cannot dictate or determine outcomes. Even our best efforts and careful planning cannot guarantee success. Only God can do that. We can’t do it ourselves. We can’t live the Christian life alone or on our own. A big part of living the Christian life is learning to trust God for the outcomes of life. We can do everything we know to do to raise godly kids, but we are completely incapable of raising godly kids. We don’t have what it takes to produce godliness in our children. Only God can do that. But we are to do our part. We are to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Then we are to leave the results up to Him. We have to trust Him for the victory. We have to let Him fight our battles. We have to depend on Him, which requires that we stop trying so hard trying to be independent.

The victory is up to God. Do you believe that today or are you still trying to win your own battles in your own strength? God does not need your help. That doesn’t mean that God absolves you from all effort or involvement. You have your part to play and your job to do, but the outcome is always up to Him. Rest in that assurance. Prepare for battle knowing that He goes before you and will be behind you. The outcome is in His hands and it is assured.

Father, may I learn more and more that You have the battles of my life completely in control. I do not need to worry, fret, or grow anxious. I simply need to prepare myself for the battle, then watch You work. You will use me. You will allow me to play a part, but the outcome will be completely up to You. The results do not rest on my shoulders. Thank You. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org