Faithful to Bring the Victory

“‘Do not be afraid of them,’ the LORD said to Joshua, ‘for I have given you the victory over them.  Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.’”

Joshua 10:8

“‘Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,’ Joshua told his men.  ‘Be strong and courageous, for the LORD is going to do this to all of your enemies.’”

Joshua 10:26

Joshua and his men had gone through battle after battle and won them all.  With each battle they took possession of more of the land God had promised to give them.  God continued to encourage them, telling that that He has given them the victory.  Notice that God says that in past tense.  The victory has already been given to them.  How cool is that?!  Joshua was able to continue to spur his men on because He had the unwavering faith that God was going to do this with ALL of their enemies.  The Israelites were able to continue moving forward, strong and courageous, because of God’s great faithfulness in every single one of their battles.  I love this! I imagine that with each passing battle, with each victory, their faith and confidence in the Lord grew stronger and stronger.

The same is true for you and for me in the battles we are facing.  This speaks directly to my fear.  I do not have to be afraid or discouraged because God has promised that the victory is mine.  I know He is fighting my battles and will do this with all of my enemies.  And with each passing battle, I can stand with greater confidence as I see the faithfulness of my God. 

Yesterday marked one year since one of the worst days of my life.  On May 5, 2013 my baby had a close encounter with death.  As I mentioned in my post last week, for two weeks following May 5^th I watched my little girl fight for her life in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.  I am going to be completely honest with you and tell you that I have been dreading May 5^th for the past few weeks.  I was afraid that it was going to stir up all of those fears that I have been working so hard to keep under control.  So I guess you could say I was afraid of fear.  I was afraid that my mind was going to try to relive what happened on last May 5th, and all those terrible memories and fears would sweep over me again.  Can anyone else relate to this with an anniversary of a tragic event in your life?  Please tell me I’m not alone here. The one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing was just a few weeks ago and I imagined that the victims and family members of those directly affected were facing the same kinds of emotions. 

In preparation of this approaching anniversary I tried to remind myself to take every thought captive and focus on God’s faithfulness in that battle.  Instead of focusing on all the horrific things I saw that day, I tried to pay more mind to the miraculous things I saw.  Today, I can happily report that yesterday was a great day.  I took my crazies shopping last night with my best friend.  My youngest, now 15 months old, ran around the department store like a hooligan, and as I chased her around I could imagine the smile on God’s face as He whispered, “Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged.  I have given you the victory and I am going to do this with all of your enemies.” 

I need to stop right here and talk to the person reading this who has walked through a battle that seemed like a defeat, because if we are honest, not every battle we go through feels like a victory.  The marriage ends, the loved one doesn’t make it, there are casualties, or the prayer isn’t answered the way we expected.  If this is you, my heart goes out to you.  I have been through battles that seem more like a defeat than a victory.  And I want to pray for you right here and now that God will show you the victory as you see yourself as an over-comer standing strong in this place of deep heart ache.  I pray that God will show you more of His faithfulness than the horrific things that you have witnessed, and that one day when you look back on your anniversary, you will see that what the enemy intended for evil, God used for good.  You are not alone dear one, and the victory is still yours because you belong to the Mighty Warrior who fights for us.

Lord my God, Thank you for the victory you have brought to every one of my battles.  You are so faithful.  Help me to see you in the midst of my battles, Lord, and show me your faithfulness even when my eyes of my heart are clouded with pain.  Thank you!  Thank you for your faithful promises.  As I cling tight to them, make me strong and courageous.  Continue to fight for me, my Faithful Warrior.  I love you, Amen.