So I have been binge-watching the show “SUITS” for a bit now. I have had a couple of friends who’ve recommended it to me, and it was a long time coming, but because I have been bored (please tell me what to do with my life), I decided to watch it.
Consider this a PSA to watch it. I’m pretty sure I am very late to the fan club, but Suits is such a riveting show, and I recommend it to anyone looking for something to watch.
Here’s a short synopsis of the show from Wikipedia (please read it!):
Set in a New York City corporate law firm, the series follows Mike Ross, a college dropout with a photographic memory, as he works as an associate for the successful and charismatic attorney, Harvey Specter. Suits focuses on Harvey and Mike winning lawsuits and closing cases, while at the same time hiding Mike's secret of never having attended law school. It also features Louis Litt, a neurotic, manipulative and unscrupulous financial-law partner; Rachel Zane(who is played by Meghan Markle btw) as the ambitious, talented paralegal; Donna Paulsen as Harvey's legal secretary and confidante, and Jessica Pearson, as the firm's control-obsessed, profit-above-all managing partner
Even though there are so many things I could say about the show, There is only one that I will talk about today. The man himself: Harvey Specter.
Why? Because he reminded me so much of God.
The thing with Harvey is that he never loses. He knows it, everybody knows it, and if they don’t, he ensures they do. Whenever things go awry in the show, and Harvey is working on the case, you’ll hear the same words shared among the characters: “Harvey is going to take care of it” or “Harvey said it is going to be okay, so IT IS going to be okay”. or “Harvey said he is going to win this, so he will”. I have seen one too many characters put their lives on the line, holding onto a shred of hope that Harvey is going to take care of it.
Now, for the first few episodes, these words did not mean anything to me, because it was just hearsay from the characters, I had not seen him in action. And then I did.
And then episode after episode, he kept doing it. Winning cases. Settling cases. Getting people out of trouble. One case after another. He even got free passes for it. He didn’t need to show up for work on time because they believed that he would always get the work done, no matter what. Among many others.
And the deeper I delved into the “Suits” lore, the more I saw and felt myself trusting Harvey. With my life. Despite the fact that (a)He is a fictional character, (b) I don’t have any legal cases needing settling, and even if I did (c) I wouldn’t have been able to afford him.
But I felt in my heart, like a physical trust in Harvey. And in one episode, I shouted at the screen at one of the characters: “It is okay! Harvey’s going to fix it. He said you are not going to jail. So you won’t!”
And then I started asking myself, Why do I feel this “emotion”, a tugging at my heart, of trust toward a mere mortal, a mere human, a mere fictional character, than I do the creator of the universe and the author of my story?
Why was it easy for people in the show and for me to trust Harvey Specter in the first place?
I think it came down to 3 things.
Evidence for Harvey’s wins is readily available in my mind.
As I said previously, it got easier to trust Harvey the more I saw him in action. This is different from Jessica Pearson. Even though she is the managing partner and theoretically “a better lawyer” than the other partners, I do not have enough evidence for her, to trust her with my life, you know?
Harvey on the other hand? So much evidence. Stacked one on top of the other on Netflix. Episode after episode of Harvey winning the day is enough evidence for me and the characters to keep trusting him.
This begs the question; Does God not have proof that he is working? Is the proof we have just not enough? I do not think so. My entire life has been built on testimony upon testimony of all the good gifts and things that God has blessed me with. I am not short of things that I have specifically prayed for that God granted me. So why is it so hard to remember these?
I think it is because they are not as immediate in my mind, as Harvey’s wins are. Because I am binging these episodes, the span between seeing the struggle, worry and doubt before a win, and Harvey finally getting the win is relatively short compared to that in my life. This makes it easier for my brain to associate Harvey with wins.
With God on the other hand, I have to find time, and sit down and go through all the journals to read all the things I have been praying for to get a tiny moment of “Oh, God is actually so good, and he comes through with his promises”.
I need to find a way to make the times God has secured a win abundant in my mind, such that when I am faced with trouble, those are the first things that my mind goes to.
I also have felt like I need to find a more vivid way of capturing all the emotions surrounding the things I pray for. My fears, worries and tears need to come to life when I look back at these moments, so that when God comes through for me, the “before” and “after” are so clear in my head, that it is hard to see them as two separate things.
The characters in the show keep saying it.
Throughout the series, I think the most repeated phrase is “Harvey will get it done”. They say it in so many different ways, in so many different circumstances, but all pointing to the same thing: “Harvey is worthy of your trust.”
Examples:
"Harvey, you're the best closer in the city. If you can't close this, no one can." - Mike
"Harvey, I trust you with my life."- Donna
"I know you, Harvey. You'll find a way." - Donna
"I hired you because I know you can handle it." - Jessica
"I trust you to fix this, Harvey. - Jessica
"I need your help, Harvey. I trust you more than anyone else right now." - Louis
These are just a droplet in the ocean of the amount of times that people have said this, to themselves and each other.
This highlighted one thing to me when it comes to God: Sometimes it is not enough for only one person to trust that God will come through. Every once in a while we will need other believers to step in and remind us what we already know, that “God is going to fix it no matter what”.
On top of that, these people had experienced first-hand what Harvey had done in their lives, and so when they said this, they did so with so much conviction, that it would be difficult for the party they were speaking to, to even begin doubting them. It is so important for us to surround ourselves with believers who can attest to God’s faithfulness in their lives, not just theoretically, but tangibly. These people give us hope and assurance in times when we cannot muster it ourselves. And when enough people say it, our hearts start to soften, and truly accept that God will come through for us.
If we do not have friends to tell us that we should trust God, that he will make it happen, then we can turn to the authors in the bible who tell us that us the same truth.
Paul says: “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)
King Solomon urges us: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Prov 3:5)
Another king, David, chimes in: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” (Ps 91:1-6)
Harvey himself says that you should do it.
Even though Harvey knows that he can do it, the people he helps or works for don’t always believe him. Despite his track record, despite being known as the best closer in New York City, we see time and time again that people just don’t trust him as much as they should. They think that their case is the one that’s gonna break Harvey. That it is going to be the one he loses.
Because of this, Harvey has to reassure these people himself.
Here are some examples of that:
"Trust me, Mike. I know what I'm doing."
"Donna, you need to trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."
"Jessica, trust me. I have a plan."
"Louis, trust that I can handle this. I won't let us down."
"Rachel, you have to trust me. I'll take care of it."
"You hired me because I'm the best. Trust that I know what I'm doing." (Harvey telling a client)
The way that God virtually tells us all of this point blank is through his word. He tells us, his people, the same things Harvey tells his clients.
I do not see the difference between the examples above, and these:
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Js 1:9)
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Is 41:10)
They seem like the same words to me.
Harvey is not a perfect character. He has his shortcomings. One of them is his short temper and one of the things that sets his temper off, is being hired by a client who does not trust him. Several times he has erupted with the words: '“If you do not trust me with this, you might have to find yourself another lawyer”.
He just CAN’T WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT TRUST HIM. Wrote that in caps for the people in the back.
Is this not what God says to us? He cannot bring his work towards completion if we do not trust him. If we do not believe that he will do it for us. He literally NEEDS US to trust him. That is ALL he is asking for.
My prayer for me and you, is that we may trust God fully, deeply and confidently, the same way Donna, Mike, Jessica, Louis and I trust Harvey Specter to bring it home.
TL;DR
It is easy to trust Harvey because:
1. There is an easy-to-remember track record of him keeping his promises and bringing it home. All of the episodes of Suits are a testament to Harvey’s wins.
2. Everyone has had their problems solved by Harvey before, and they are all telling each other with conviction to trust Harvey. They could change the title of the show from “Suits” to “Trust Harvey; if he says he will make it happen, he will make it happen”, and it would work.
3. Harvey says he will make it happen. Either believe him and work with him. Or don’t believe him and get yourself another lawyer.
Now replace the word Harvey with God :)
I had fun writing this today, because when I realised this, it just blew my mind away.
If you’ve watched Suits already I would love to hear your thoughts on this :) <3
Until the next one my babies. Hasta luego.
Your substacks never fail to deliver grams🫶
When I read this I remembered the show "How to get away with murder" the way Annalise Keating ensured no matter what her clients always won their cases.