Delayed, Yet Present Victory

Delayed, Yet Present Victory

In Judah God is known;
    his name is great in Israel.

His abode has been established in Salem,
    his dwelling place in Zion.

There he broke the flashing arrows,
    the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah

Glorious are you, more majestic
    than the mountains full of prey.

The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
    they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
    were unable to use their hands.

At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
    both rider and horse lay stunned.

But you, you are to be feared!
    Who can stand before you
    when once your anger is roused?

From the heavens you uttered judgment;
    the earth feared and was still,

when God arose to establish judgment,
    to save all the humble of the earth. Selah

Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
    the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.

Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
    let all around him bring gifts
    to him who is to be feared,

who cuts off the spirit of princes,
    who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 76

Not much is known about what happened which inspired the writing of this psalm, but it was obviously written in celebration of a battle victory.  The psalmist writes about how good God is, how mighty He is, how fearful He is.  It is amazing how such a powerful God can be with us.  

I was never in the military, so I cannot begin to understand the gratitude such as this in battle.  But what I do know is that God will always be victorious.  In Isaiah 54:17 it states, “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”  We can have confidence that God is with us wherever we go.  He has already won the war.  This was done through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Not only were our sins forgiven, evil was defeated.  Satan’s fate was sealed, and he is now on borrowed time.  Even though he may have tiny bouts of victory, and it may seem more often than not, God has won.  He is building His kingdom where evil will have no power and no existence (Revelation chapters 21 & 22).  

Although this work has been done for us, we still feel the effects of evil every day.  Every day we are constantly at war with the flesh and the world.  Do not be discouraged because it is only temporary.  If you are in Christ, you are a child of God.  God has a plan and purpose for you.  Whatever defeats or setbacks you may have in this life, God uses to grow you and glorify Himself.

“Judgement for an evil thing is many times delayed some day or two, some century or two, but it is sure as life, it is sure as death.”

I love you all,

Justin