Day Twenty-Three: What Do You Depend On?

Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.

Psa. 33:17, NLT

I didn’t realize how heavily we depended on our in-car navigation system, until Kelly and I got lost. We were trying to find a business in an area we were not familiar with. Suddenly Cinnamon (as we’ve dubbed the female navigator) informed us, “You are entering an area unavailable for step by step instructions.” Well, that wasn’t very helpful. Thankfully, we were close to the street it was on. It only took a few extra turns to find our way. But we did have a moment of panic. I guess even the best technology isn’t foolproof.

That’s what happens when we depend on anything other than God to bring us spiritual victory. At the time Psalm 33 was written, the horse was the ultimate war machine. I realize that far too often the “warhorses” I count on are my own willpower, support system, and knowledge of scripture to conquer my enemies of impatience, gluttony, overwork, self-pity, and others I’m too embarrassed to admit. What about you. What warhorses do you depend on?

Are you counting on health, money, talent, or other Christians to help you defeat the enemies ganging up on you? Those things are helpful - the warhorses in my corral are nice to have around - but they will not win the victory.   

Today’s verse is a good reminder that only Christ in us, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, can empower us to defeat the enemy that wants to discourage and bring us down. Anything else will eventually fail. After all, horses can have bad days, be stubborn, get sick, get shot out from under us, or even get lost. Just like our navigation system did. The only One who we can always depend on is Jesus Christ.