Victory Celebration
This morning we had a few inches of snow on the ground from our weekend storm. It was a wet, spring snow and not as much in Fort Collins as in Denver. Now later in the day, the sun is out and most of the snow is gone. This morning I conducted two chapel services as Morning Star Assisted Living. Since Debbie and I attended a banquet for the Colorado Christian Home, Tennyson Center last night we went to the late service at Timberline. By the time we got home, went out to eat and returned it was time for an afternoon nap.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “There are shouts of joy and victory in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly! The Lord’s right hand is raised. The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!” I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord disciplined me severely but did not give me over to death.” Psalm 118:15-18 HCSB
Psalm 118 contains some familiar verses; ones we even see referenced in the New Testament. For example, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone... This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.…Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success! He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed.” (Psalm 118:22,24-26 HCSB)
There is no better place of rest and comfort than to be assured of God’s presence and intervention in your life. When you have confidence that the Lord is the God of what is ahead it is a cause for rejoicing. Often we when things are well we say, “right now I am in a good place.” Those words remind me of the psalmists declaration, “I called to the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place.” (Psalm 118:5 HCSB)
All of this is pictured in the victory celebration when the Lord would allow the armies of Israel to gain victory over their enemies. Just as there is cheering and chants after a big sports win today, so was the case when the armies of God were victorious. For God’s righteous the victory chant was, ““The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly! The Lord’s right hand is raised. The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!” (Psa. 118:15)
The “right hand” speaks of strength and power. There is none as powerful and mighty as the Lord. When He acts, when His “right hand” is raised, victory is assured.
That victory gives assurance of life over death. “I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done.” (Psa. 118:17) Every battle, every confrontation, every setback, carries its own degree of uncertainties. One of the certainties of life, is there are no certainties. But when the Lord is on our side there is confidence in the midst of the uncertainties of life. When we stand on the other side of the battle, we can “proclaim what the Lord has done!”
Finally, when hardships come as discipline from the Lord, we can know we are still in good hands. David had his times of “discipline from the Lord.” In each situation, he saw the Lord working for His good. So, even in a time of discipline we can be confident in a God who is “for us.” In the end there is not just a “wiping of the brow” and a sense of narrow escape. There is a shout of victory knowing, “…The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!”