The Peaceful Way to Success

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed. O you who hears prayer, to you shall all flesh come. Psalm 65:1-2

To date, most of my working career has been in secular duties. And though I'm not that old, only in my 40s, I believe I've experienced my fair sample of what work is all about. It's kind of funny, when I look back, at the random ebb and flow of the jobs Ive had. Some of the main jobs include retail, a professional gardener, environmental compliance and now chaplaincy. In those jobs, I've worked in parks, at an airport, around water and sewer plants and in a hospital. The one constant to all these positions and work places was the politics. The funny thing is that the religious world, sadly enough, is not much different. Anyone who has been involved in the running of a church can attest to this.

Now I'm not being cynical or seeking to promote or tear down any particular industry, political organization, or political figure. The unfortunate political reality on the job, in the boardroom, in Congress, or in the White House, is that those who get ahead are often the ones who are the most forceful. The motto of the world, therefore, is "do whatever it takes to get ahead and you will go far."

So, if manipulation and leveraging people only serve to compromise our values, does that mean that I believe we should give up trying to influence our government, our workplace, our churches, or our homes? William Wilberforce, the great English parliamentarian and architect of the English abolition movement, was faced with this very question. John Newton, author of the hymn Amazing Grace, urged him to stay in government and be an influence for godliness. Ultimately, Wilberforce decided he would find a way to influence the government without lowering himself to the politics of the day. And those political tactics were worse then anything we encounter today. I believe Christians are given a mandate to bring order into creation (Gen 1.28). We can engage our government, churches, and workplace and be a godly influence on them when we apply the four principles set out in Psalm 65.

The first of these principles is found in verses 1-2: everything was created to give glory to God. When we undertake a task, therefore, our goal is to make God, rather than ourselves, great in people's eyes. I think this is what made Wilberforce such an impact on England when he set out to change the morality of that country in the early to mid 1800s; he never saw himself any more then Gods servant and never wanted to draw attention to himself. Consequently, God used Wilberforce mightily. The purpose of any task we undertake, therefore, is make God great and glorious in people' eyes.

Psa 65:5 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;

Most of the time we conjure up images of mud-slinging and personal attack ads when we think of politicians. And while this image may be warranted, we rarely want to acknowledge that we, too, may be guilty of the same tactics. I remember one workplace that was sharply divided between the "in crowd" and those on the outs. My boss was on the outs, and all I had to do to get ahead was give some "innocent information" that would make him look bad. Nothing incriminating, just join the gossip mill and unofficial political pressure to get rid of him. Though it was never said, I know I could have had his job if I had done so.

I know first-hand, therefore, that getting what you want often involves playing the game. I think we've all been there. If you want to get something done, you have to know who has influence. So having an agenda in mind, you seek out the people who can "get-r-done." But getting things done always comes at a cost. No one puts their neck on the chopping block for someone unless it benefits them. So, if you want influence, you have to give or do something so people will owe you.

Unfortunately, these exchanges generally come at the cost of integrity; the thing you sacrifice is often a piece of what you hold to be true. Little by little, you begin to compromise what you hold dear and true. Little by little, you begin to partner with those who were once detestable to you. At the end of the day, whatever works and the motto "might makes right" replace truth.

The second principle from this passage, therefore, is that God has an unmovable standard which keeps us from compromise. The world might object that something written two-thousand years ago could not possibly apply to todays situation.

Psa 65:6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;

Once again, Wilberforce is a great example of the third principle of Psalm 65: God is our source for everything we do. Though Wilberforce fathered the abolition movement in England while in his 20s, he didn't see it come to fruition until two days before his death some 60 years later. During these years, there was plenty of opportunity to establish abolition by his own strength. Wilberforce could have responded to the vicious attacks he was under in like manner. But you can afford to be patient and do things God's way when you're working on His timetable. In His own time, God raises the mountain. It may be in a day or in a millennium. Whatever the case, this principle relieves me of having to take control of the situation and resort to dirty tricks.

Psa 65:7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,

The problem with political gamesmanship is it assumes we're in control and that the world must conform to us. The problem is that there is always someone stronger, smarter, and who has a little more leverage just around the corner. Consequently, you can be on top of the world one minute and knocked down the next, when you find yourself on the wrong side of the political stick.

So the final principal of Psalm 65 is: no matter how forceful the movers and shakers may be, God is in control. You will never experience lasting success if you try to place your agenda over what God wants to do. As the verse above states, everything in this world was created to give glory to God. Even those who are the most savvy accomplish God's plans. One only needs to look at the biblical account of Pharaoh to know this is true.

God, rather than your own strength, your political maneuvering, or government, is the source of your peace. Peace comes to the earth when God establishes His perfect will on the earth. You can have peace in knowing that God is mighty to move the peoples of the earth to bring about His will. The only way you'll experience success in influencing people is by applying these four principles of Psalm 65.

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