Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.9 You visit the earth and water it;
From Psalm 65 ESV
you greatly enrich it;
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
God is sovereign. For every blessing we witness, to Him the glory is due. The entire earth, all of nature responds to His command. To this sovereign God, we pray, shout for joy along with nature, and bow down.
In His sovereignty, God calls and places leaders in churches, communities, and families. Most of us will find ourselves as a leader of something, big or small, over the course of our lives. The bible has much to say to those that bear that responsibility, and those that report to others as well. Any position of authority rests under God’s ultimate authority over our lives and our world.
2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
I Corinthians 4:2 ESV
Who judges the faithfulness of a steward accurately? Only the true owner knows if the steward followed His wishes as fully and faithfully as he could have. Even his self-assessment might over-inflate his accomplishments or consistency.
What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
I Corinthians 4:7b ESV
Perhaps the most critical trait in a leader is humility. We have not arrived. We do not deserve this station in life more than many others. And, any skill or gifting that we have that enables us to lead well is not something to boast about. All of that, we received from our gracious God.
You keep him in perfect peace
Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
These verses often come to me when the role or situation that God is walking me through seems a bit much.
Perfect peace. What a beautiful, calming promise. I see the progression when you flip the verse around. We trust in God, and our mind is “stayed” on Him. This means to lean, lay, or rest as a support or brace. If we trust God, our mind will be supported as we rest in Him which will bring us that perfect peace.
This sovereign God who entrusts to us varying levels of responsibility does not expect us to go it alone. He provides all we need to make the decisions, motivate our peers or those we influence, lead with wisdom and somehow find peace in the midst of all that.
This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
Isaiah 28:29 ESV
he is wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.
Lord God, Thank you for your wisdom. So many decisions are beyond my human level of understanding and perspective. Give me fuller love for those that are impacted by decisions I make and sound judgement as these plans have broad implications for many. I do not even know all the ripple effects of my choices at times. Draw me always back to rest in your sovereignty and peace. Keep my mind saturated in you as I trust you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Erin (6intow)
Sixty-six books in a year 