| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net The day Timothy McVey was executed, he handed a copy of the following poem to the warden. It is, to me, a striking testimony of defiance in an age that exalts defiance. The poem is entitled “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley. “Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul. Sometime later, a very Godly woman named Dorothea Day wrote this in response; “Out of the night that dazzles me Bright as the sun from pole to pole, I thank the God I know to be for Christ the Conqueror of my soul. Since His the sway of circumstance, I would not wince nor cry aloud. Under that rule which men call chance, my head with Joy is humbly bowed. Beyond this place of sin and tears That life with Him! And His the aid, Despite the menace of the years, Keeps, and shall Keep me unafraid. I have no fear, though straight the gate, He cleared from punishment the scroll Christ is the master of my fate, Christ is the Captain of my soul. Do you see how these two views are diametrically opposed? No wonder 1st Corr. 1:18 says “the word of the cross is foolishness to them that are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God unto salvation”. Ultimately, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Phil. 2:10-11). No matter how or where it happens, it is going to happen. For some of us, it will be great joy through tear filled eyes as faith becomes sight and we marvel at the fact that He is more incredibly splendid than we had ever imagined. For others, it will be an indescribable feeling of doom, separation and loss, capped off by hopelessness. It truly is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of God’s wrath. Let’s turn the Spiritual Switch. When you hear "Captain of My Soul", it sounds cool - doesn't it? The Bible actually calls Him (Jesus) "The Captain of our Salvation". But what does it mean or rather, what did it mean to them in His day? The Captain in those days was not a rank. In fact, he could have been the equivalent of a The Greenhorn on Deadliest Catch. The Characteristic which made the Captain stand out from the rest was twofold. He selflessly courageous, and was by any standard a Mountain of a man. We're talking Konan the Barbarian size and he was kept on board predominantly for one reason. When the ship was caught up in a storm, I mean the kind of storm that scared seasoned sailors. The storm that would as often as not take all hands as well as the ship. The danger was that the ship (unable to navigate due to the wind and waves) would be dashed against the rocks. What the Captain would do is throw a giant coil of rope around his neck, a rope big enough to hold a great ship, and swim for a rock to tie off the ship so as to anchor it in the storm. Few could do it, and fewer would do it. So there He is, Jesus our Lord, the Captain of our Salvation. Just when all is lost and death is imminent, He risks (sacrifices) all to save us. Halleluiah What a Savior. |
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