“We were ready to govern ourselves” (paraphrased; author unknown).

I was being bombarded with information concerning the historical events surrounding the Battle of the Alamo. But it was this quote from the documentary movie I watched that stood out to me the most.

We humans have tried to govern ourselves from the very beginning, and it appears we’ve been unsuccessful. Our attempts thus far have only driven us to divide and conquer and to the destruction of self and others.

The beginning of Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (ESV). This knowledge is referring to knowing God through relationship with and dependence on Him. So in our quest to govern self we’ve bypassed knowing Him, and we are destroying ourselves because of our lack. (I recommend reading the context of Hosea 4:6 to get the big picture. Though it is contextual, it applies to all of us.)

These are merely my observations, and I can’t speak for anyone else. But I speak for myself, and I need Him and His help desperately. My personal attempts at self-governance placed me in a pit. The good news, however, is He used my struggle and failure to turn my heart back to Him. Instead of making me suffer what I deserved, He freely, mercifully, and gracefully loved me and restored me. And He continuously does so; He is even doing it now in this very moment.

I have found submitting to His governance to be life changing. Though He needs no recommendation, I do highly recommend Him. I'd rather not live independent of Him. He’s proven to be the best governor of me.