Psalm 138 Self Sufficiency

Self sufficiency is the one of the greatest hindrances to our spiritual development. Many of us believe that through sheer willpower we make our lives happen. But of course that is not true. There is an underlying force that creates life that we cannot explain or control and that is the breath of God. It is that invisible vitality which inspires our being: it is our soul. When we live in harmony with that inspiration from Spirit, we feel truly alive.
We literally vibrate at a higher level. When we choose to ignore its presence in our lives, we are dead. We may be breathing but we are not living. Our lives are lived in anxiety, fear, doubt, greed, hate, and jealousy. The chaos of that consciousness makes us unbalanced and unhappy.

What does it mean to give thanks to God before the gods? Metaphysically, these gods are the creative powers and gifts given to us by God. They are under our control, but they must be used to serve Spirit not our personal will and desires. It is our responsibility to lay our entire being (holy temple) before God in praise. Thanks to God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, at any time that we choose, our consciousness can be raised to the level of understanding in which we know and embrace our subservience. Many people react negatively to the idea of serving. They ask why would a God who gave us freewill ask us to then be submissive? We have been given freewill for two reasons. First, it was an act of love on the part of God. Secondly, in order for us to be made in God’s image and likeness we must have the ability to be creative. Without freewill it would be impossible for us to be a creative force in the world. Submission to God is not an act of weakness, it is one of strength. It takes a very powerful person to delve deeply into his/her consciousness and remove the barriers to Spirit that have been constructed by society. It is a very lonely and arduous process, but the rewards are incalculable. The act of submission to God gives us complete conscious control of our inner world. That is true power.

Rather than using our gifts to serve our selfish interests, we have the opportunity to decide that the centers of our personal will (kings of the earth) can be used to praise God. When the resisting areas of the mind finally understand the enormity of Divine creative power (heard the words of your mouth); they can willingly capitulate. As we sing the ways of the Lord (live in harmony with the Law), we realize God’s glory (our unity with the Divine). Spirit can fill a consciousness that is empty (lowly), but one that is filled with personal ego and worldly concerns (haughty) cannot be raised.

Even as we continue to struggle with error states of mind (I walk in the midst of trouble), we will be set free by Truth (Your right hand delivers me). Our true purpose is to fulfill God’s will. When we turn our lives over to Spirit we can realize that promise. Until we get past the idea that we can do without God and surrender our lives, we are bound in mortal consciousness. We only need to choose to change our minds (repent) and we can be released from the bondage of worldly-mindedness and self sufficiency.

And so it is! Amen!