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The horse is prepared for battle; but victory comes from the Lord. [Proverbs 21:31] It is the promise of God that comes to you this month, even as His grace takes you a step closer to where He wants you to be in life, as He leads you in a triumphal procession in Christ. Victory belongs, or rests with the Lord, is the manner in which other versions of the verse above, express the truth.
And, the verse prior to it, gives the context and the key principle underlying this truth, as it declares, there is no wisdom, no insight and no plan, that can succeed against the Lord. [Proverbs 21:3] But it is precisely what man attempts to do, as you can see in the world around you today. He wants to live independent of God, walking in his own ways, led by his own intelligence and wisdom, glibly unaware that there is no wisdom like God’s !. And human intelligence, when it is not combined with inspiration that comes from God, will not lead to any lasting success that satisfies man’s inner being.
It is the same when it comes to salvation that comes to man only from God, and through Christ. But, man in willful ignorance, continues to think even today, that given sufficient time, he can find the solution to sin, and does not need the Cross of Calvary, where the Savior has paid the high price, shedding His own sinless Blood for the redemption of humanity. After all, science has developed to such an extent, that trips to the moon could become commonplace in the foreseeable future, he thinks, not knowing the truth that going to heaven is only through the Blood of the Cross !. It is the understanding and wisdom that can come to him only from God. God is certainly not against you acquiring knowledge, or your education and the thesis that you may be working on to attain a high degree; but He also declares that ultimately He is the Only Wise God, who catches the so called wise men of the world, in their own craftiness. And, it is Christ who fills you with all things, that you may be complete in Him.
For the message of the Cross is foolishness to the rest of the world, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’. Where is the wise man ? Where is the scholar ? Where is the philosopher of this age ? Has not God made foolish, the wisdom of the world ? [1 Corinthians 1:18-20] And the purpose of God in doing it, Paul goes on to explain, is the truth that man is saved not by his wisdom, but by believing in Christ. And to those who are being saved, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the wisdom and power of God, are Paul’s emphatic words, establishing the truth of God’s word in powerful clarity. [1 Corinthians 1:21-24]
That man may not trust in his own limited strength and inadequate wisdom, to boast before Him, is displayed in the fact that God has chosen the foolish, the weak and the base things of the world, and through it He also demonstrates that victory comes from Him and only Him !. Ultimately everything hinges on God and comes from God, is the foundational truth that He very clearly puts across through the words of the apostle. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Therefore, as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast only in the Lord’. [1 Corinthians 1:30,31] There is no plan or wisdom of man that can succeed against God. And this truth comes into play in another context with a lot of practical relevance, in the midst of the times in which we live in, where wars are raging in the political realm. Even the church appears to be threatened and victimized in many ways, as evil plans are orchestrated against it, and justice seems to have taken a back seat in all areas of life. But, it is then that the truth of God’s word, the heavenly perspective needs to reign within you, to see the sovereignty of God. He is on the throne; God is in control.
You may have questions, but the psalmist prescribes the heavenly perspective that needs to be in you, Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain ?. The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and His Anointed One. Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters. The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. [Psalms 2:1-4] It captures well the futility that lies at the end of the road, for the people who choose to go against the Lord, however powerful and mighty they may appear to be in the earthly realm. They will never succeed in their ill devised plans, for victory comes only from God.
It also needs to be remembered, that your present position in Christ is one where you are seated together with Him, in the heavenly realm, at the right Hand of the Father; it is the heavenly perspective that needs to be in you. Yes, horses may be being prepared for battle all around you. But, victory belongs to God; and you belong to Him. Victory therefore, belongs to you ! It all boils down to something very simple and profound, pointing to where and in whom you choose to put your trust. Having horses and chariots, which in present day terms could be likened to equipping yourself with knowledge, skills and talent is not wrong in itself. It all falls apart though, to lead you in ungodly paths, only when you depend and put your trust in your own human strength and accomplishments, without depending on God.
This is the difference, and the result of it is the victory that comes to you. As the words of the familiar psalm, that gives so much hope in your heart and mine declares, Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand upright. [Psalms 20:8] Those who trust in their chariots and horses, describes those who depend on their own ‘self’, their worldly position, power and resources, to bring them success in life. In other words, it is how the sin of ‘the pride of life’ is exhibited and manifested. It is taking pride in one’s own accomplishments, social status, and other resources, and putting your dependence on it. For, there is nothing wrong in having material possessions or a good education in life. But your education needs to be combined with edification from God, and your material wealth needs to be linked with the purposes of God in your life. It is when this does not happen, that you will find that even the abundance in your hand becomes a problem, and something that you no longer enjoy.
King Solomon had it all; but when he lost his close relationship with God, that he once enjoyed, everything in his life, his wealth, possessions and pleasures became meaningless and empty to him, leading him to describe everything under the sun as nothing but vanity !. It is indeed very true that even God’s blessings in your life will offer you no peace and comfort at all, when your dependence is not upon the God who has given you those blessings, all by His grace, and all because He loves you !. Having forty years of experience in your ministry or work place is indeed commendable. But it will be of no avail in lifting you up in life, if you are not aware of the truth that God’s grace is something new in your life every day. Your years of experience definitely have intrinsic value, but having forty years of experience should also have taught you that you need to depend on God, day after day, and live by His grace that is fresh and new each day. It is how God’s victory comes to you in your life and in your circumstance.
Trusting in your own credentials and strength, the horses and chariots that you may possess in order to defeat the enemies that come against you is what will ultimately make you fall and taste defeat. For, victory belongs to the Lord !. David as he stood before Goliath, had none but God with him; and the giant Goliath, had everything except God. And, David won, for he trusted in the Name of the Lord. He believed and confessed his dependence upon the God of Israel; and when you have God it is all that you need; you will see victory come to you ! You will rise up to stand upright in your circumstance, when your confidence is in Christ, your dependence on Him who has already done everything for you on the Cross of Calvary.
And yes, on stepping out of your house, you do need to lock it, for it is the voice of presumption that is foolishness, which says within you, I trust and depend upon God, and so, why should I lock my house ?. But, the other side of the coin is the danger of prayerlessness, the self dependence that makes you think, I have locked the house, to keep it safe; and so what is the need for me to pray for its safety ?!. It is presumption of a different kind, one could say !. But, the truth of it all is that, you do need to do your part in every endeavor that you undertake, to study what is in line with your God given aptitude, to work in line with your calling and gifting, put in the necessary effort. But, over and above it all, there needs to be in you, the dependence upon God in order to prosper and enjoy good success. For, His eyes are upon all those who put their trust in Him, in order to deliver them, and grant them victory. It is the promise of God, that is ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ in Christ Jesus. It is your trust that matters, that makes the difference.
A king is not saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. [Psalms 33:16,17] Even today, in most countries, it is the expenditure on their armies that takes up a hefty chunk of their finances. It is all about having a big and strong army to fight against the enemy.
And, breaking it down and applying it to a single person, it could be that you are financially strong, with a healthy bank account; God is not against you being rich financially, with money that has come to you by honest means. But, it is where you put your trust that matters, that makes the difference; for the source of your victory is the Lord. Therefore it is your dependence upon Him that delivers and saves you, and not the size and strength of your resources, however vast they may be. God is stronger, greater and wiser than the mightiest army on earth.
It is doing what you are called to do with all your heart, not despising your God given skills and talents, but with a dependence on God. It involves spending time in preparation and prayer, studying the word that God speaks to you, and reminds you, but preaching it with complete dependence upon God. And it is the same God who speaks to you in your time of prayer and meditating upon God’s word, who works through you in your work place. Therefore, it is vital that your focus is upon Him, not just on a Sunday, worshipping in the congregation of saints, but day after day, every day of your life. For, in the office where you are employed, you are the temple of God, and He fills you with His glory and power that people around you may see and declare that, ‘He alone is worthy’!.
The dependence on God is the difference between theology, and the philosophy of the world that says you can do it all in your own strength. But, God says to you, that apart from Him you cannot do anything !. And, choosing to depend upon God is the greatest decision a person can make on earth. For, otherwise, the day will come when standing before the throne of judgment he will painfully realize, ‘I do know now, what I should have known then’!. Where your focus lies, is the key to victorious living in Christ, as your eyes are fixed upon Him with undivided commitment, making eye contact with Him.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. [Psalm 33:18] The anthropomorphic language in the verse above, pictures God in human terms, so that man with a finite mind, can understand the infinite God. Trusting and depending upon God, is having your eyes fixed upon Him, whose eyes are upon those who fear Him. And, it is at that point, when you connect by making eye contact with Him, that communion and communication with Him takes place. It happens as you are reading God’s word, and a portion of scripture speaks to you very personally, loudly and clearly, connecting within your spirit and your soul rejoices !. And, it is then that you need to make a simple, but not so very easy choice.
It is the call that you make, the decision you take to depend upon God; and in spite of possessing worldly resources in great abundance, choosing not to rely on it, or trusting in it. Then to everyone who chooses to do this, God comes through to show His care and provision. It is all about relying on Him alone.
The size of your opposition never intimidates the all powerful God; what He looks for is your reliance upon Him, that He may give you victory. It was the word of God that the prophet conveyed to King Asa, as he faced a mighty army. ‘Were not the Cushites and the Libyans, a mighty army, with great numbers of chariots and horsemen ? Yet when you relied upon the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth, to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him’ [2 Chronicles 16:7,8]
Are you the one whose heart is fully committed to the Lord ? It is the all important question; for if you are, God will show Himself strong on your behalf. You may feel that your strength is inadequate to overcome your mighty problem, but when your heart is fully committed to the Lord, it is the key that unlocks your victory !. And nothing, however hidden it may be to the world, escapes God’s attention. You may think that you are lost in the crowd, but He sees you and He knows you !.
The woman with the issue of blood trusted that the Lord would heal her; her dependency was on Him. But, she also thought that she was hidden from the Lord’s eye during the entire episode. Her focus was fixed on Him; it also did not escape the Savior’s attention. He stopped to call her forth, from among the crowd, to bless her with peace and wholeness, something much more than her physical healing !. [Mark 5:24-34] The Lord’s eyes are going all over the world, seeking those who fully trust in Him, that He may strongly support them. There may be millions praying to Him, every single moment, but it is the prayer of the righteous, who come to Him in faith that makes tremendous power available. And, nothing escapes His eye is the wondrous truth that comforts us.
It is your trust in Him, and your focus upon Him, that God is looking for. He heard even the wordless sighing of the Israelites, as they groaned under their bondage, unable to put it in words. But God saw their pain, to remember His promise to them as His chosen people, to deliver and give them victory over the Egyptians. Eli, had many years of experience, ministering in the temple of God. But, he still misunderstood Hannah’s voiceless prayer of grief and sorrow. But, the Lord’s eyes were upon her, to answer her through the same Eli, to give her a favorable answer that gave her victory in her situation.
‘Help us, O Lord, for we rely on you; and in your Name we have come against this mighty army’. [2 Chronicles 14:11-15] God gave King Asa a mighty victory over the mighty army, for he trusted and relied upon God. And to meet your need too, whether big or small, as you put your trust in Him, is a simple thing in the eyes of the Lord. It is not about the sufficiency of your strength, for the Lord Himself will work powerfully on your behalf, that you may say, It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in my eyes !.
And, recorded in the Bible are instances where you see, Moses, the widow at Zarephath, and the disciples at the feeding of the five thousand, are to begin with asked about what they had in their hand. The insignificance, and the smallness of what they had, did not limit God though, in the outworking of His power, and bringing a miraculous increase. But sometimes in your life, you may be in a place where there is nothing in your hand. And, it is then that you need to remember, that He is the God who calls things into existence. It was this trust that Abraham had in God, which led to him seeing a miracle come to pass in his life !.
He is the God who said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. And, when your dependence is upon God, how many are standing together with you, does not matter, for He saves by many or few, as Jonathan declares in the word of God. [1 Samuel 14:6] Naturally speaking, when you are in a battle against a strong enemy, it may be comforting to have many people standing alongside you. But the truth remains that you with God become the majority !. And God’s arithmetic says that when one may chase a thousand, two will chase a ten thousand !.
God takes pleasure and delight in blessing you. It is all about Him; and His favor on you brings victory !. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man. The Lord delights in those who fear Him; in those who put their hope in His unfailing love. [Psalms 147:10,11] Mere muscle power does not impress God, and the strength of man can never stand against Him. But, when you depend on Him, He Himself becomes your strength. It is when the Spirit of God came upon him that Samson gained miraculous physical strength.
The word that describes this divine blessing on a person is ‘favor’. It pleased the Lord to bless Israel. [Numbers 24:1] And, today you and I are His chosen people too, His Israel; it pleases the Lord therefore to bless you. Therefore, as you go to Him, saying what a privilege it is to pray to Him, He replies in delightful tenderness, ‘The pleasure is all mine’! Without faith it is impossible to please Him. And so when you go to Him in faith and trust, it pleases Him to bless you. And the victory that belongs to Him belongs to you, to become yours !. It is His favor upon you; you are His favorite, and so is every child of His !. He is the God who shows no partiality.
With Your Hand you drove out the nations, and planted our fathers. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory. It was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for you loved them. [Psalms 44:3] It was the story of the Israelites; and it is how victory comes even to you, this day. It is not by being crafty or smart, but by God’s love and favor coming upon you, as it was upon the Israelites. And the favor of God can do in your life what finances cannot accomplish. Therefore, David’s testimony can be yours too; He rescued me because He delights in me. [2 Samuel 22:20] And, in the new covenant everything that comes to you from God, comes through Christ, through what He has already accomplished for you through the Cross.
Thanks be to God; He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Corinthians 15:57] Through Christ, God brings victory in your life. And the process is set forth in the book of Revelation. They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. [Revelation 12:11]Victory over the evil one comes to you, as you proclaim what Christ has accomplished on the Cross. When you partake of the Lord’s Table it is the victory of the Lord that you affirm and appropriate, to apply it in your life. It is good to have knowledge and skills, but your trust and dependence needs to be upon God. It is how you overcome, to be the person that the apostle John describes, I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you; and you have overcome the evil one. [1 John 2:14] And it is how God continually leads you in victory.
Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. [2 Corinthians 2:14] God leads you in a triumphal procession, as you rest in the victory that Christ has won on the Cross. And He leads you in victory and triumph for a purpose; that you may proclaim what Christ has done in your life, what He is still doing, and what He is going to do in the coming days, to lead you from glory to glory !.
You are in a triumphal procession, for your dependence is upon God, who blesses you with His favor that enables you to do difficult things with ease. It is why, when you are weak you can say, ‘I am strong’, and when you are poor, you can say, ‘I am rich’, even as you appropriate all that the Lord has done for you on the Cross, partaking of it as you put your trust in Him, that you may receive the blessings that He has poured out upon you. May the blessing of His peace, the blessed presence of the Almighty God, and the prosperity that comes through the purposes of God being worked out in your life, for the glory and honor of His Name belong to you, as you find your rest in the victory of the Lord, that comes to you. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
