Trust him for true success
Almighty God,
the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy;
increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through the things of this age,
and not lose sight of the age to come,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Success. It is a word bandied about by all and sundry. So many of us crave it. People speak of aspirations to be a “successful” lawyer or “successful” student or “successful parent”. Pastors are sometimes tempted to think about a “successful” ministry. But the critical question is this: what is success?
We learn in Scripture that ultimate success is being faithful. True success is faithfully following Jesus until death. We see this in Jesus words, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21, 23). It is shown as Paul spoke about his imminent death, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). What magnificent words! But the thought of following Jesus in a fallen and frankly brutal world can strike fear in our heart. Why? Because I know how weak and frail I am.
And so today’s collect comes to us as a balm because it teaches us how feeble believers like ourselves can find strength to be faithful. Notice how the collect begins: “Almighty God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy.” The collect calls upon our all-powerful God “without whom nothing is strong”. In other words, all spiritual strength comes not from us but from God. Only he can protect us from a malevolent world. What an assuring message!
But how does God protect us? It is as we “trust in you”. In a chaotic world the temptation for many is to engage in self-protective behaviours and rely upon ourselves. Instead God beckons us to trust him as our true protector and strength. The Indian actress and model, Neha Dhupia, said, “There are no shortcuts to success. You have to believe in yourself, and never give up.” This reflects the popular attitude, “if you believe in yourself you can do anything”. But such a thought is diametrically opposed to true success. Strength is found not by believing in yourself but by trusting an all-powerful heavenly Father.
The collect then provides an example of how to trust God for the strength we need. It gives a model of how to rely on God for his protection from evil. Look at the collect’s request: “increase and multiply upon us your mercy, that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through the things of this age, and not lose sight of the age to come.” Notice that the strength we need we do not deserve. It comes purely from God’s mercy. Each day we persevere is God’s gift to us. And this inculcates in us daily gratitude and joy.
But what does God strengthen us to do? Live with Him as “our ruler and guide”. It is weakness to live as our own master. That is bondage and results in failure. Rather, God’s empowerment enables us to live under Jesus’ loving rule. That is freedom and results in success.
Estée Lauder once said, “I never dreamed about success, I worked for it.” She died at age 95 in 2004 an extremely wealthy lady. But what good is it if you gain the whole world yet lose your own soul? Let us live for the true success of not losing “things eternal”, the things of the age to come, but remaining faithful to our dear Saviour Jesus.
So pray this with me:
Almighty God,
the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy;
increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through the things of this age,
and not lose sight of the age to come,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.