The Did Not

Psalms 44:1-3 KJV

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

The Psalmist knew that Israel had not gained the Promised Land through any skills of their own.

• It was not their swordsmanship.
• It was not their valor.
• It was not even their clever strategies.

It was the hand of God; His goodness and favor that had given them the Promised Land.

We need a generation of Christians to rise up and trust the hand of God to favor them once again. For too long have we preached a doctrine of good works for God's blessing. We have made our doctrine "10% inspiration and 90% perspiration". It may make things work but it can never claim that God's hand did it alone.

This is not to say Israel stayed idle. They did not. They were responsible for two major elements:

• They were to follow where God led them
• They were to trust and obey what God taught them 

May we do the same.