Everything we have comes from God

“Lord, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us.” Isaiah 26:12
The chapter in the book of Isaiah from which this verse comes describes how the Israelites would praise God for delivering them from their enemies. They acknowledge that God is the one who brought about deliverance and gave them victory – it was nothing they themselves had done.
We can often forget to acknowledge God’s hand in our own lives, and we would do well to acknowledge God’s influence just as Isaiah spoke about here. If you think about it, all that we have done and achieved is only because God has given us the opportunity and the ability to do those things – be it excelling at sport, receiving education, landing a job, finding your spouse, earning wages, participating in activities, and so on. Moses warned the Israelites, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today” (Deut. 8:18). Job and Solomon both wrote about how we come into the world with nothing, and leave the world with nothing (Job 1:21, Eccl. 5:15). Let us always remember that God is the one who has given us the abilities and talents that we have, and that He is the one who gives us the opportunities to use them. He is the one who provides for us, and He is the one who deserves all our glory and all our praise.