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 circumstances,
I have not winced nor cried aloud,
Under the bludgeonings 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 straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

            This prestigious poem is titled The Invictus. It was written by the British poet W.E. Henley in 1875, but it has made reoccurring appearances in modern literature, films, and speeches. This poem was recited in its entirety by the Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh just moments before his execution on June 11, 2001. It was the focus of the 2009 Clint Eastwood film which shares the same title. And it was most recently quoted by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2013 after Nelson Mandela’s death.

            The poem’s literary quality is unquestionably brilliant, but its theological content is contemptibly blasphemous. Henley was a militant humanist who hated the Christian faith. The word invictus means “unconquered” in Latin, and the author’s intention in the poem was to shake his fist in defiance at the very thought of a sovereign God ruling over him. He truly believed that he was the master of his own fate and the captain of his own soul.

            One of the reasons why this poem has gone through such a renaissance in recent days is because it reflects our society’s pervasive emphasis on self-determination. Like Henley a century ago, so many people today have become hoodwinked into believing that they are actually in control of their own lives and destinies. They believe that if they just work hard enough, look good enough, position themselves in the right places, or posture themselves in the right ways, that all of their dreams will come true. We hear it all the time our cultural clichés: “I can do anything if you set I mind to it!” “Where there is a will, there is a way!” “You just have to follow your heart!” “It’s my life, I can live it however I want!” All of these lines initially sound good and right, but they are the lies of the devil.  How much control do you think you have over your life? Are you unconquerable? Do you think that you are the master of your own fate and the captain of your own soul?

The Sovereignty of God

            This poem and these clichés and philosophies fly right in the face of the biblical doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Contrary to the belief that we are all the masters of our own fate and captains of our own souls, the doctrine of the sovereignty of God affirms that since God is the creator of all things visible and invisible, and the owner of all, that he has the right to rule and reign over all, and exercise his absolute authority in the universe. Another way to define God’s attribute of sovereignty is to simply say that God is in control of everything. The preeminent Presbyterian theologian and past principal of Princeton Theological Seminary, Charles Hodge, eloquently defines God’s sovereignty:

If God be a Spirit, and therefore a person, infinite, eternal, and immutable in his being and perfections, the Creator and Preserver of the universe, he is of right its absolute sovereign…The Sovereignty of God is the ground of peace and confidence to all his people. They rejoice that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; that neither necessity, nor chance, nor the folly of man, nor the malice of Satan controls the sequence of events and all their issues. (Hodge, Systematic Theology, I, p. 440-441)

            Sovereignty is one of the clearest and most prominent attributes of God presented in the Scriptures. The Bible uses the word “sovereign” to describe God over 300 times, and it illustrated in many other biblical narratives. Today I would like to focus on one biblical passage that expounds the sovereignty of God!

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (Daniel 4:28-37)

            In the year 586 B.C., the kingdom of Judah was conquered the Babylonian empire. Babylon besieged Jerusalem, broke its walls, burned its gates, and carried God’s people into captivity, where they would spend 70 years in exile. This happened because God’s people continued to turn their backs on him and worship idols. Even though God had sent them numerous prophets to warn them of the coming judgment for their sin and rebellion, the people hardened their hearts against God and trusted in themselves and their worthless gods even more.

            The whole Book of Daniel takes place during the Babylonian exile. Daniel was one of the best and brightest of the young Jewish exiles, and because God had given him the gift of interpreting dreams, he was promoted to a place in the king’s court.

            Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was the most powerful man in the world in the 5^th century B.C. He had conquered many foreign peoples, expanded his territory throughout the Middle East, constructed a luxurious palace that was called “the marvel of mankind,” and built the gorgeous “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” which were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. He had all of the wealth, power, and popularity a person could ever desire.

            In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar went to bed one night and had a frightful dream. He saw a massive tree in the middle of the earth; its trunk reached the sky and its leaves stretched across the whole earth and provided food, shade, and beauty for all people. And then a holy one from heaven came and said, “Chop down the tree and lop of its branches but leave the stump…Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.”

            When none of the Babylonian magicians or astrologers could determine the meaning of the dream, Nebuchadnezzar turned again to Daniel and his God again. Daniel prophesied that the tree represented Nebuchadnezzar, but that his kingdom (wealth and power) was going to be taken away from him for seven years. If he did not repent from his sins and acknowledge the sovereignty of the one true God, he would lose his mind and scavenge the earth like a beast of the field and a bird of the air.

            Well, Daniel 4:28-37 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar neither humbled himself before the Lord nor repented from his sins. About a year later, while the king was walking on the rooftop of his palace and gazing upon the glory of his kingdom, he heard a harkening voice from heaven that told him that his kingdom would now be taken away. And immediately, the word of God was fulfilled and he completely lost his mind. He lived like a beast and wandered in the wilderness. The most powerful man in the world was reduced to the likes of a raving lunatic. After seven years, he finally humbled himself before the king of heaven and his kingdom was restored to him.

            Notice Nebuchadnezzar’s language in verse 30, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence for the glory of my majesty.” Do you see his pride, arrogance, and self-determination? He takes the glory for everything that has been accomplished in his life rather than giving the glory to God! He trusts in his own sovereignty instead of trusting in the sovereignty of God! He believed that he was the master of his fate and the captain of his soul!

            How easy it is for us human beings to be deceived into thinking that we are in control of our own lives? But God has ways of showing us that he is sovereign and we are not! He uses many life circumstances to humble us and remind us that we are not in control! We may go through life believing that we have things all figured out, but what do you do when your boss tells us that you’re going to be laid off? What do you do when you have an unexpected heart attack or the doctor tells you that you have cancer? What do you do when you are in an accident or experience an unforeseen injury? What do you do when you lose someone you love? God uses all of these things to remind us that we are not in control!

            But the good news is that God is in control! He is completely sovereign over everything and everyone in his creation. Do you see how easy it was for God to overpower the most powerful man in the world? He simply spoke the words and it was done! Who are we to ever think that we are wiser or more powerful than the Almighty?

            God caused Nebuchadnezzar to lose his mind and his kingdom for seven years, but was it really God’s plan to harm him in the end? No! God’s plan was to humble him so that he could help him! Have you ever tried to help someone who didn’t think they needed help? You can’t do it! That is why God humbled Nebuchadnezzar and that is why he humbles us!

            So, has God sent any unforeseen adversity your way? Has he allowed you to experience some trauma or pain? Maybe he is trying to get your attention! It took Nebuchadnezzar seven years of craziness before humble himself before the Lord and acknowledged his sovereignty. I hope it won’t take you that long!

            This story about Nebuchadnezzar is great, but the greatest example of God’s sovereignty is the giving of his own son Jesus Christ. It is absolutely incredible that God would make a plan to save our souls by allowing his own son to suffer on the cross and die for our sins. And that he would be resurrected on the third day to offer new and eternal life to everyone who would humble themselves before him, repent from their sins, and make a faith commitment to Jesus Christ.

            Around 1900 a young lady named Dorothea Day had been greatly enamored with W.E. Henley and his humanism, but after she became soundly converted to Christ, she wrote a response to Henley’s blasphemy, and set forth the correct attitude of a child of God toward the sovereignty of God. In contrast to invictus which means “unconquered,” she titled her poem Conquered. Here it is:

Out of the light 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 the 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,
That, spite the menace of the years,
Keeps, and will 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!