How to Get a Grip on the Scriptures

“Get a grip!” Many people use this phrase, meaning to get control of oneself or to not get so worked up about something. Can’t stop complaining about things happening in your life? ‘Get a grip!’ If watching the news makes you depressed, ‘Get a grip!’ Consumed with envy over what other people have? ‘Get a grip!’

But there are other, broader senses of that phrase. The most obvious would apply to people who work with their hands, like carpenters, plumbers, or artists. If using a hammer, wrench, or paintbrush, you better ‘get a grip’ if you’re going to accomplish whatever you’re trying to do. When I was taking drum lessons, I discovered ‘getting a grip’ was easier said than done – trying to move quickly around the drum kit, occasionally a drumstick would slip out of my hands.

 

Of even greater importance is getting a grip on a particular pursuit, achieving a measure of mastery in a chosen skill or discipline. I admire people demonstrating great expertise at whatever they do, whether it’s interior design, accounting, teaching, genealogy, mechanics, culinary arts, or other such vocational or avocational interests. But they didn’t achieve their excellence overnight; it took countless hours to ‘get a grip’ – to master what they desired to do.

 

The same holds true in a spiritual sense. For instance, gaining a deep understanding of the Scriptures isn’t something that can be achieved by spending a few minutes now and then. The typical Bible has more than 1,500 pages – the truths they contain are deep enough to fill the lifetime of even the most determined theologian.

 

That doesn’t mean biblical teachings are unfathomable for the ‘layman,’ someone who has never darkened the halls of a seminary, much less preached from a pulpit. To get a grip on the Scriptures, all we need to do is look at our hands. 

 

As I’ve mentioned before, my journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ began years ago when I joined a small group that used study materials developed by The Navigators. Originally focused on ministering to people in the armed forces, the Navs eventually expanded to college campuses and churches. One strategy for teaching how to get a grip on the Bible was what they called “the hand illustration.”

Why the hand? Pick up a Bible with one hand. Then transfer it to your other hand but try holding it only with your little finger. It’ll fall, right? Attempt this again, using only your little finger and thumb. Your grip on the book is tenuous; it can easily be pulled from your grasp. Add a third finger, then a fourth, and finally all five. Now you’ll have a strong grip on the Bible – someone would have a hard time wresting it out of your hand.

 

In a similar sense, it requires five ‘fingers’ to gain a strong grip on God’s Word. Each finger on the hand represents an action step for internalizing the Scriptures and learning how to put the truths and principles into use. The five are to: hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate.

 

Hear. It starts with hearing, whether a sermon at church, a message at a conference, a program on the radio, or even a conversation with a follower of Jesus. As Romans 10:17 explains, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

 

Read. Next comes reading the Scriptures for yourself, seeking to learn who God is and the truths He reveals through His Word. “Blessed is the one who read the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…” (Revelation 1:3).

 

Study. The third ‘finger’ in this process is studying – when the hard work really begins. It’s more than just reading what the Bible says. It’s digging, seeking to understand its meaning and discover treasures it contains for today and for eternity. In Acts 17:11 we see an example: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” We’re to be like the diligent, studious Bereans.

 

Memorize. When we encounter especially meaningful verses or passages in the Bible, one of the best ways for internalizing them is to commit them to memory. Then, like building a spiritual filing cabinet, they’re accessible for use without having to open a Bible. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says they’re to become such a part of us they work themselves into everyday conversations: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” 

 

Another passage that affirms Scripture memorization is Psalm 119:9,11 in which King David says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word…. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

 

Meditate. Finally, we have meditation. This isn’t mindless repetition of some mystical mantra, or emptying one’s mind. It’s deeply pondering a specific passage, striving to draw as much insight and understanding from it as you can. Kind of like a cow chewing its cud over and over, seeking to get as much nutrition out of it as possible. This is addressed in Psalm 1:2, which describes a “blessed” man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.”

 

Do you desire to get a grip on the Word of God, to become a ‘person of the Book’? Then make every effort to hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate. Over time you’ll find the truths of the Scriptures becoming part of you more and more.

Easily Deceived by Outward Appearances

We’re a society obsessed by outward appearances. When planning to go to a special event, many people agonize over what to wear and how they’ll look. On home improvement shows, the first thing prospective buyers consider is “curb appeal.” And those ‘reality’ romance shows? Only for the beautiful or handsome. Our eyes are attracted to whatever shiny, glitzy thing comes along. 

But have you ever discovered how outward appearances can deceive? For instance, that person who catches everyone’s attention when he or she walks into a room, but if you get a chance to talk with them beyond a casual ‘hello,’ you discover they’re either filled with ego or have the IQ of a mushroom. Beware of flashy ‘diamonds’ that turn out to be synthetic.

 

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to get acquainted with people who could command a speaking platform with their wit and eloquence. However, sometimes what you see isn’t what you get if you have a chance to talk with them one-to-one. Stage presence doesn’t always translate into personal substance.

 

Other times I’ve met people who at first didn’t seem outwardly impressive, but they possessed inner qualities that drew me to them like a magnet. They serve as reminders not to judge people solely upon externals. As God told the prophet Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

 

Among the endearing realities of the Bible is its candor, revealing people as they truly were. Repeatedly we find examples of folks in the Bible whose outward appearance didn’t align with the kinds of people they were on the inside.

 

Recently, while using a one-year Bible that takes the reader through the Scriptures in a calendar year, with both Old and New Testament readings, I came across two examples of how we can be deceived by outward appearances. The first was King Saul.

 

Reading in 1 Samuel, we find the people of Israel had tired of being led by prophetic judges. "Give us a king to lead us…. We want a king over us,” they declared to the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 8:6,19). After all, the Israelites reasoned, other nations all had kings. Why shouldn’t they? So, God told Samuel to anoint a fellow named Saul, “an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others” (1 Samuel 9:2). He seemed outstanding – in the most literal sense.

 

Saul had passed the ‘look test,’ and initially seemed to be a humble individual. When the time came to announce the first king of Israel, we’re told he had “hidden himself among the baggage” (1 Samuel 10:22). But soon the Israelites would learn the truth of the adage, “Be careful what you ask for.”

 

His reign was all downhill from there. He repeatedly ignored God’s commands given through Samuel, and when caught in his sinful disobedience, Saul was quick to cast aside fault, blaming instead the soldiers and people he was chosen to lead. He served as king of Israel for 42 years, but it was a tenure fraught with conflict, jealousy, terrible decision-making, and murder.

 

We find a very striking contrast to Saul in the gospel of John. It’s an unlikely woman Jesus Christ encountered at a well outside the Samaritan city of Sychar. Having been married five times and living with a man who was not her husband, this woman was the face of scandal. To avoid accusatory looks, she would go to the well in the midday heat, knowing no other women would be there.

 

Topping it off, Samaritans were universally despised by Jews. And yet, Jesus – a Jew – chose to honor this disreputable woman with a compassionate conversation that had a surprising outcome, recorded in John 4:4-42. 

 

As she approached the well, bearing the weight not only of her water jars but also her forlorn history, Jesus asked, “Will you give Me a drink?” Looking up at the person speaking to her, she probably thought the Samaritan equivalent of ‘Say what?!’ “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” she responded, perhaps thinking this individual had forgotten the day’s cultural norms.

 

Jesus countered with a statement that caught her attention: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.” I suspect hearing about “living water” would have gotten our attention as well.

 

As their interaction unfolded, Jesus revealed He was not only a prophet but in fact the promised Messiah – to her utter amazement. Excitedly, she forgot all about getting water from the well and turned into an unwitting evangelist, rushing to tell the townspeople about the person she had just met: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

 

The upshot of this story is that many people in Sychar became believers in Christ, some through the woman’s testimony and others after talking with Him directly, curious because of what she had said. 

 

Isn’t it interesting how an outwardly impressive man who became king could turn out to be such an adject failure, while a woman who’d lived such a sorrowful life could be used by God for such a life-changing impact on many people in her community?

 

What a powerful reminder not to limit ourselves to the first impressions people make on us. It’s also encouraging to know that even if we’ve never been the center of attention or voted most likely to succeed, the Lord can still accomplish great things through us.

Much-Deserved Observance for America’s Fallen

Memorial Day. What’s this weekend all about anyway? A three-day weekend of getting together with family and friends for barbecues and picnics – hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad (here in the South, it’s ‘tater salad’), and all the fixin’s? The annual running of the Indianapolis 500? Or if you prefer, NASCAR’s annual 600-mile race? 

 

Those are fun activities for the holiday weekend, but in fact Memorial Day isn’t about any of those. It’s former name, “Decoration Day” (which some folks still use), emphasized it’s an annual observance highlighted by decorating the graves of soldiers fallen in any of the USA’s past wars.

 

A popular song from years ago included the lyrics, “War – what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” Lots of people would agree. War – conflict between one group and another, or one country and another – is one of the worst aspects of the human condition, and it’s been that way from time immemorial.

 

Unpleasant as it is, we can’t ignore the reality of war. For the warriors and soldiers involved, their loved ones, and those who know little about the ravages of war, it’s good that Memorial Day is observed. Ours is far from a perfect nation, but the freedoms we enjoy, the rights and privileges many other nations don’t offer, were hard-earned – at the cost of many lives. Those who died should be remembered and honored for their noble sacrifices.

 

Those brave individuals who fought and lost their lives in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and on many fronts in the Middle East, deserve our gratitude and recognition. They didn’t choose to die but were willing to pay the price if necessary.

 

My father, thankfully, wasn't among them. He saw battle in the U.S. Army with both infantry and artillery units as a commissioned officer and was wounded twice, as the two Purple Hearts he was awarded attest. But he saw many fellow soldiers who did die. Dad never wanted to talk about what war was like. Most of the memories he brought back from the battlefields weren't pleasant, and he didn’t want not to revisit them. 

 

Since my dad departed from this life early, at the age of 62, I was only 31 and very much immersed in forging a career and building a family. I wish I could have had more time with him, especially to thank him for his service and the scars from war, both physical and psychological, that he carried for most of his adult life.

 

Thinking about the many thousands who died for the freedoms and rights we so often take for granted, I’m reminded of the words Jesus Christ spoke to His closest disciples. He wasn’t talking about war, but what He said resonates just the same. Jesus declared, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). 

 

In the most important sense, Jesus was speaking about what He was about to do on the cross, dying to make once-and-for-all atonement for our sins. As Romans 5:8 states, “…God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That was the very ultimate of ‘ultimate sacrifices.’

 

But when we think about it – there being no greater love than laying down one’s life for one’s friends – this is exactly what fallen American heroes through the centuries have done. Whether at Bunker Hill and Cowpens, Bull Run and Gettysburg, Somme and Verdun, Pearl Harbor and Normandy, Inchon and Heartbreak Ridge, Khe Sahn and Hamburger Hill, or the Gulf War, many breathed their last to serve and defend people like us. They need to be remembered.

 

The book of Ecclesiastes, which many Bible scholars believe was written by King Solomon, often presents a rather cynical look at life. For instance, Ecclesiastes 1:11 declares, “There is no remembrance of earlier things; and also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.” Let this never be true for what Memorial Day represents. 

The Importance of Being Firmly Rooted

The beach on Jekyll Island, S.C. is littered with driftwood,
the remnants of fallen trees.

Early in my walk of faith I was encouraged to join a small group discipleship program called the ‘2:7 Series.’ I decided to participate, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

The 2:7 Series was developed by The Navigators, a parachurch ministry that for many years has emphasized both evangelism and disciple-making, in keeping with Jesus’ commands to His followers. The ‘2:7’ refers to Colossians 2:7, which reads, “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

 

Those 25 words say a lot, but the ones that immediately jump out at me are “firmly rooted.” What comes to my mind are images of stately trees suddenly being uprooted in a severe storm, like a hurricane or intense thunderstorm. In our area we’ve recently experienced heavy rains with strong winds which upended a number of trees, in some cases knocking down power lines.

 

It’s not always the case, but when trees that have stood proudly for many years fall suddenly during storms, it’s often because they had shallow root systems. Nothing to anchor them to the ground when natural adversity in the form of heavy precipitation and harsh winds struck. They weren’t firmly rooted.

 

Spiritually speaking, having a firm, deep root system is even more important. Because challenges, trials, tribulations, major crises – or whatever you want to call them – are inevitable in this life. Faith will be tested, probably more than we’d like, and our responses will reveal how firmly rooted it is. 

 

The apostle Paul addresses this in his letter to the ancient church in Rome, just after he makes the now-familiar declaration, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). These can be greatly encouraging words, but only if we’re convinced that God is for us and that He works all things for our ultimate good.

 

A few verses later Paul writes this underscore: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

 

If we’re firmly rooted in our faith in an all-powerful, never-changing God, we can find much strength and assurance in such promises. However, if our spiritual root system is shallow, the proverbial mile-wide and one-inch deep, when the storms strike we’re likely to topple just as huge trees supported only by shallow roots.

 

At the very beginning of the Psalms, we see a description of a person whose faith is firmly rooted: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” The preceding verse tells us what these “streams of water” are that enable this person to flourish: “…his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2-3).

 

In the small group discipleship program of which I was a part for a couple of years, we were encouraged to hear and read the Scriptures, study them, memorize key Bible verses, and meditate on them to take in as much spiritual nourishment from them as possible, much like a cow chewing its cud over and over. (I hope to write more about this in a future post.)

 

My favorite devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, focused on this in one of his recent meditations in My Utmost for His Highest. He said:

“God doesn’t promise to make us immune to trouble; God promises to be with us in trouble…. Trouble is never a noble thing, but neither is it all-powerful…. Let trouble be what it is. Let it be exhausting and irritating. But never let it separate you from the reality that God loves you.”

Someone has said that every follower of Christ either is in the midst of a trial, has just come out of a trial, or is getting ready to go into one. We’re broken people living in a broken world. But if we’re firmly rooted, our faith anchored in the timeless, limitless promises of our eternal God and His Word, no matter what hardships or adversities we’ll confront, they won’t take us down. 

What ‘Ditches’ Are You Willing to Dig?

When discussing matters of faith, we get a wide range of perspectives. Some folks simply have what I call ‘faith in faith,’ as if things mysteriously have ways of working themselves out. Some place their trust in what ‘the universe’ will bring about. Others have faith in karma, serendipity, or “fate.” 

Biblical faith, however, is very different from any of those. It’s more than simple belief. If you were to turn it into a mathematical equation, it would be BELIEF + TRUST = FAITH. It’s sincere belief and trust put into action. It’s like the toddler standing at poolside, looking at mom or dad in the pool with arms extended, and deciding to take a leap – a leap of faith – trusting the parent will catch him or her before going underwater.

 

True faith is like living in a farming area that’s suffering from an extreme drought, going to church to pray for rain – and carrying an umbrella. It’s responding to God’s call to move to an unfamiliar area to serve as a missionary, without knowing the language or understanding the culture. Faith as the Bible defines it is refusing to deny Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, even if it means estrangement from family or even death – something most of us in the United States have never encountered.

 

The Scriptures are filled with accounts of people acting in faith, especially when logic or common sense would have told them doing so was foolish. These help us to understand what it means to truly “walk by faith and not by sight,” as 2 Corinthians 5:7 terms it.

 

We find one such instance early in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings, when the kings of Israel and Judah, along with the king of Edom were leading their armies to do battle with the Moabites. After seven days they had run out of water for themselves and their animals. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?” complained Israelite king Joram. King Jehoshaphat of Judah knew it wasn’t time to hit the panic button, responding, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?” (1 Kings 3:10-11). 

There was one – Elisha, who had served an apprenticeship under another revered prophet, Elijah. It was time to act in faith, Elisha declared. “Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing for the Lord; He will also hand Moab over to you” (1 Kings 3:16-18).

 

Digging ditches in an bone-dry valley, trusting that water would come from nowhere? This probably initially seemed like an exercise in futility, but choosing to trust in the promise of God through the prophet, they ordered trenches to be dug. We’re told in 1 Kings 3:20, “The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was – water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.”

 

Clearly, it wasn’t enough for the kings to accept the prophet’s assurance that God would provide water. They needed to have ditches dug as they’d been commanded. And their faith – in the face of apparent foolishness – was rewarded.

 

Earlier the Scriptures told us that Elisha’s mentor, Elijah, had prophesied there would be no rain in Israel for several years “except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Three-and-a half-years later, after defeating 450 prophets of the false god Baal in a fiery demonstration of God’s power, Elijah correctly declared a torrential storm was coming to end the prolonged drought. 

 

We’d be hard-pressed to count up the times people in the Bible were asked not only to believe God but also to act upon what He had promised. Faith is a foundation for a flourishing relationship with Him. And not once did the Lord fail to do as He said.

 

When confronted with our own challenges and tribulations, it might be tempting to think, ‘Yeah, that was then. But this is now!’ This is where assurances like Hebrews 13:8 can be so encouraging: “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Time may have passed, but our God hasn’t changed one iota.

 

This echoes the declaration God gave to Moses when using him to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. Directing Moses to perform a series of miracles, God said, “This is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you” (Exodus 4:5).

 

The same God who parted the Red Sea; who saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the midst of the fiery furnace, and Daniel from becoming dinner for the lion; who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, enabled the lame to walk, and brought Lazarus and others back from the dead; and died on the cross, only to be resurrected on the third day, is ready to respond to our pleas today. 

 

As another prophet asserts, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1). But believing that to be true is only the first step. We need to act upon it, putting feet to our faith. And if necessary, dig some ditches.

Like It or Not, There’s Only One Way to Get In

Back in 2005, the Real ID Act was enacted to require that driver’s licenses and identification cards issued by states and U.S. territories comply with federal standards. It was to enhance security after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Here we are, two decades later, and it seems the plan will finally be implemented and enforced. Apparently, “soon” in governmental terms has broad interpretation.

Although it appears the actual enforcement may still be delayed, the Real ID eventually will be necessary for boarding domestic airline flights and gaining access to certain federal facilities. Once it goes into full force, if you don’t have a Real ID, your plans to fly somewhere literally won’t get off the ground. 

 

We have the same principle in use when traveling to many foreign countries. Without a passport you can’t get in – and often, without a passport you can’t get out. Kind of like Monopoly, unless you have a passport, you can’t pass ‘Go.’

 

What would you think about someone who strongly objected, telling a boarding agent at an airport or a passport officer, “How intolerant! How narrow-minded! Why must I produce a Real ID (or a passport)?” You might not say it aloud but would probably think to yourself, ‘Hey, buddy, rules are rules. It’s not like this was something that just happened yesterday. These regulations have been in effect for a long time.’

 

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to about a dozen countries; each time I had to present my passport to enter them – and to exit. Not once did I feel a need to dispute the requirements. And I obtained my Real ID well in advance; sooner or later I’ll need it, so why not beat the rush at the DMV?

 

Interestingly, people have a very different reaction to the biblical guidelines for going to Heaven. “There are many ways to God,” some say. Others opine, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.” But getting back to the Real ID or passport analogies, the ticket agent or passport officer would disagree. There’s only one way to get onto a commercial jet, and it’s to produce the proper ID. And no matter how sincere you might be, without a passport, you can’t move from one country to another.

 

In terms of our ultimate destination, once our tenure on Earth has ended, we need to look at what God’s Word has to say about it. And the Scriptures have much to say.

 

One time, maybe while glancing at a flock of sheep grazing in a nearby field, Jesus Christ told His followers, along with a crowd of curious onlookers and religious leaders, “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture…. I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me…there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:9-16).

 

Speaking to Martha, one of Jesus’ devoted followers whose brother Lazarus had just died, He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

 

Perhaps the most direct statement was when He was alone with His 12 disciples. In response to Thomas’s question, “how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:5-6).

 

This claim is affirmed repeatedly in the New Testament. Addressing the Sanhedrin, the assembly of the highest-ranking Jewish leaders, the apostle Paul declared, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men [Jesus of Nazareth] by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

 

Writing to his young protégé Timothy, the apostle Paul asserted, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men…” (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

 

We could consider numerous other passages, but 1 John 5:11-13 sums it up: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

With the proper ticket and Real ID, we know we can board an airplane for our chosen destination. And with a passport, we enter a foreign land whether for business or leisure – and then leave when we wish to do so. Doesn’t it make sense to ensure that when we’ve taken our last breath on Earth, we’ll have the proper ‘credentials’ to enter Heaven?

‘Sovereignty’ Prevails in the Derby – and in Life

Did you watch Saturday’s Kentucky Derby? The outcome was intriguing, because Journalism was the odds-on favorite. But at the end, the betting favorite came second to a horse named Sovereignty. (A horse named Publisher finished 14^th, so it wasn’t a good day for the media.) 

 

But getting back to the winner, one dictionary I consulted defines sovereignty as “supreme power or authority.” At least for this first leg of the famed Triple Crown of horse racing, Sovereignty exerted supreme power or authority at the finish.

 

It also was interesting because in his immediate post-race interview, Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty’s jockey, made a point to express thanks to his Lord, Jesus Christ. In the Bible, sovereignty is one of the paramount attributes of God, ascribing to Him the “ultimate authority, power and control over all things, including creation, history, and the lives of individuals,” as an online source puts it.

 

I’m a big fan of giving credit where credit is due, whether it’s a team working together; a teacher or mentor helping to develop someone’s capabilities; a medical professional who has provided life-saving care, or parents who sacrificed to enable a child to succeed. And it’s especially heartening to see athletes acknowledge God for their talents and the opportunities they’ve had to compete on a big stage. 

 

We’ve seen a lot of this of late in a variety of sports, and it affirms the biblical admonition, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

 

Does this mean that God ordained that Sovereignty, and not Journalism or some other horse, would win the revered Derby? No. At least not necessarily. Because as theologians will note, while the Lord exerts the ultimate control over His creation, the Scriptures don’t declare that He orchestrates every single outcome. Man’s free will also plays a major role in outcomes, major and minor.

 

In the case of last weekend’s race, myriad details needed to be addressed leading up to it. The winning horse had to be purchased, meticulously trained and cared for, and prepped for such a racing spectacle. The right trainer had to be selected. Jockey Alvarado was an accomplished horseman, but he had to overcome significant health issues weeks earlier even to get in the saddle. 

 

We don’t know from the Scriptures whether God ever has a rooting interest in the outcomes of specific sporting competitions. Especially if there are followers of Jesus opposing one another. But we do know He delights when His people praise Him for enabling them to showcase their talents.

 

As King David wrote in 1 Chronicles 29:17, “Since I know, my God, that You put the heart to the test and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.”

 

We also know that the Lord is not distant and indifferent to His people. In one of David’s psalms he declares, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them…. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever” (Psalm 145:18-21).

 

Loving and serving God does not always guarantee victory or other forms of worldly success. Partly because we often learn more from defeat than triumph. But we’re told in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Sometimes that even means being able to lift the championship trophy in Victory Circle.