What can mere mortals do?

Psalm 56:11

In God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me? NIV

The Message paraphrases this verse, “Fearless now, I trust in God; what can mere mortals do to me?” MSG

When I was a kid, I loved the show, Bewitched.  Samantha, the lead character, was a witch who had fallen in love with a human and her mother, Endora, made frequent visits.  Endora had a habit of calling humans “mere mortals.”  This was usually when she was looking down her nose at Samantha’s husband or her friends.

Endora saw humans as stupid and bumbling and clumsy.  She had super powers … they did not.

If I will trust in God … I have access to super powers.  I can be fearless. There is nothing that mere mortals can do to me.

But, I am not called to emulate Endora in any way.

Instead, I should keep my heart soft toward those who do not know Christ, whether or not they are working against me.

When I trust God, the balance of power is reordered, and my whole perspective is shifted.

In fact, when I trust God, I can move beyond asking “what can mere mortals do to me?” and move toward asking, “What can mere mortals do?”

We all need God.  No-one can save themselves by themselves.  As a Christian, I am called upon to take God’s message to those who haven’t heard it.

That’s what I’ll think about today.

2 Comments

Filed under Old Testament, Psalms, Trust

2 responses to “What can mere mortals do?

  1. Nice! I’ve been reading a lot lately (and taking it on the chin while I read) about how quickly and easily we make man more important than God. I know I struggle with it. I like the thinking behind “mere mortals”. Not in the sense of superiority, as you said, but in the sense that what GOD thinks is what matters.
    Thanks.

  2. Thanks for stopping by. Happy New Year to you!

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