Do you know what the oldest lie in the Bible is?
It’s not Joseph’s brothers lying about his “death.” And it’s not Ananias and Sapphira’s lie about their offering. The oldest lie is five words from a snake in the garden of Eden, “You will be like God." The oldest human impulse is self-authorship. We want to write our own story.
Many graduation speakers tap into this desire when they urge high school and college students to say, "Your story is yours to write." Yet, this empowering message puts us in a dangerous place—God's position.
Nobody has expressed this idea better than the poet William Ernest Henley. In 1875, while recovering from a surgical amputation, Henley wrote a poem titled "Invictus," the Latin word for "unconquered." The final two lines have been quoted by presidents, athletes, and prisoners like Nelson Mandela: “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”
The poem is stirring. Its spirit is defiant. However, the sentiment can lead you to lose the plot. If you’re the master of your fate, then you are your own God. If you’re the captain of your soul, then God is not.
In contrast, there’s a different viewpoint present in the song "The Author," by Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas. Lake and Jonas shocked music fans when footage of their studio collaboration was released. Their first song was released the same day Lake invited Jonas to join him to perform “The Author” at a tour stop in Charleston, South Carolina (Lake’s hometown).
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At first, “The Author” sounds like Henley, as Lake and Hones describe a life that hasn’t gone as planned. Mid-song, their posture charts a different path, as they shift from control to letting go. They sing, “Who am I to question the pen in the hands of The Author?”
By the end of “The Author,” Lake and Jonas acknowledge they aren’t the masters of anything, speaking from a more humble, honest place: “I'm ink in the pen in the hands of The Author.”
They are not the author or even the pen. “I’m the ink,” the song repeats. The journey in “The Author” mirrors the invitation to let God write the story.
Some translations of Hebrews 12:2 describe Jesus as "the author and perfecter of our faith." Across translations, Jesus is described as the author, founder, pioneer, initiator, leader, and originator of our faith. The story was his from the beginning, and the plot points that feel like detours are being worked for good by His hand. Consider the words of Psalm 139:16. “Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."
Those words can be either terrifying or the most freeing thing you've ever heard, depending on how tightly you're holding the pen. Will we cling to the pen or experience of God’s authorship in our lives?
The song also alludes to Isaiah 43:1, where God tells His people, “I have called you by name; you are mine.” God has not called you to perform for social media followers who may neither know you nor your name. However, He both knows you and calls you by name. The song captures that distinction in a single line:
“What grace is this? Called me by name again and again and again.”
The repetition of the word “again” is not accidental. Grace is a repeated experience! God and His grace keep finding you, no matter how far you've wandered.
Underneath the entirety of “The Author,” we find echoes of The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Despite the title humans attached to it, Luke 15:11-32 isn't primarily a story about a son who messed up. This parable is a story about a father who ran! When the son came to his senses, rehearsed his speech, and started walking home, the father was waiting and saw him "while he was still a long way off." He pursued His son. I don’t think you’d be wrong to rename the story “The Parable of the Loving Father.”
Our God is actively, personally, and relentlessly pursuing His creation in this parable and in your life, inviting us to trust His authorship instead of insisting on our own.
Henley, Lake, and Jonas are all honest about the struggle. The difference between “Invictus” and “The Author” isn’t the pain, but the choice with the pen.
One posture clings to the pen; the other surrenders. You choose which story to tell.
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker who loves tacos, green tea, and sneakers. With more than twenty years of ministry experience, he teaches with a blend of Biblical truth, emotional awareness, and the compassion shaped by his own struggles.
Scott’s writing has impacted over six million readers through trusted platforms such as the YouVersion Bible App, Air1 Radio, and Our Daily Bread. He’s the author of Faith Behind the Song, a 40-day devotional book published in partnership with K-Love Books. Whether speaking on a stage or writing on a page, Scott offers a steady, empathetic voice that reassures people they are seen, loved, and not beyond God's healing reach. Forty-five thousand subscribers from over fifty countries are excited to read his newsletter every Tuesday morning. You can join that list today at ScottSavageLive.com!
