When Victory Walked out the Door
By
Elin Henderson
“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory
through Jesus Christ our LORD.”
Can you remember a day when victory walked out the door? The
people you were counting on let you down. The money you desperately needed
never came in. The armies you had built up were slowly demolished and there you
were left standing, alone. “Impossible” just got ramped up to a new level!
Did you find yourself chasing after the defectors, begging them
to return? Filling the gaps with whatever resources you could dig up? Barring
the door so they couldn’t escape? We find many ways to try and make up the
difference between our current difficulty and what we consider “victory.”
Yet, God is always challenging us and finding creative ways to
get rid of the human element, in order to show us a better way to victory. This
“letting go” of our human resources, our well-made plans, our “victory” stash
is never easy, is it? Whether we are the widow with the last bit of oil and
Elijah asks for some bread (1
Kings 17:8-16), or Gideon when God pares down his
army of tens of thousands to mere hundreds (Judges
7:1-7), God has His ways of bringing us
to the end of ourselves and our well-planned resources. It appears that victory
is walking out the door, but God is waiting to bring in a better, more
incredibly victorious plan!
It is in the faith-filled surrender, which willingly lets go
when all of your being is screaming to hang on tighter, that we find true
victory. So, keep the doors open. If people desert you, your resources dry up
or your plans fall apart, don’t lose heart. Let them go, resting in the fact
that God will use that same door to usher in a victory unlike one you have ever
seen.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Are you
facing any difficulties right now?
2. What
can you do to keep reminding yourself to keep the door of your heart open for
God’s plans?
FURTHER
READING:
