Your Victory is His - Dr. Gerry Lewis

“This is going to hurt a little.”

That’s what the retina specialist (who shall not be named) told me just before he stuck his finger in my right eye and scratched the inside of the back of my skull (at least that’s what it felt like), all the while shining a million watt spotlight in the aforementioned eye.

Perhaps that description was slightly exaggerated, but he was not exaggerating when he said it would hurt.

Three pieces of good news:

Nothing is torn or detached.
My vision should eventually clear up without further treatment.
The pain stopped when he removed his finger.

Pain, inconvenience, frustration, anxiety, fear—these are all part of life.

We get them whether we ask for them or not. We get them whether we deserve them or not. We get them whether we understand them or not.

It’s part of the human condition in a fallen world that is awaiting the renewal of all things.

My hymn text this morning was “Be Strong in the Lord” (1979) by Linda Lee Johnson. The limited biographical info I could find on her indicated that she wrote these lyrics on a plane while traveling to her grandfather’s funeral.

Verse 1:

Be strong in the Lord and be of good courage

Your mighty Defender is always the same

Mount up with wings, as the eagle ascending

Victory is sure when you call on His name

Verse 2:

So put on the armor the Lord has provided

And place your defense in His unfailing care

Trust Him for He will be with you in battle

Lighting your path to avoid every snare

Verse 3:

Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage

Your mighty Commander will vanquish the foe

Fear not the battle for the victory is always

His He will protect you wherever you go

Chorus:

Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord

And be of good courage, for He is your guide

Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord

And rejoice for the victory is yours

Unrealistic?

Sure, if your definition of “victory” is gaining the outcome you hope for.

However, I’d like to challenge that definition.

What if the victory is the assurance that God is aware of our pain, inconvenience, frustration, anxiety, fear and He is at work in us in ways we can’t see, to bring about things we can’t comprehend, to give us eternal resources we can’t imagine?

What if we were able to rest in the assurance of His care and let Him fight our battles?

What if we were to let Him release us from the pressure of trying to fix everything ourselves—of spending all our energy on things beyond our control?

What if we started spending more time looking for evidences of God’s care in the normal activities of our day than we spend looking for things in the world to fret over or be offended by?

(What if we chuckled over sentences that end in prepositions?)

Would that not be victory?

Be amazing today, my friend.