VICTORY!!!

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Here’s a thought for the day …

Psalm 91:16 – With long life I will … show him my salvation.”

       As this study on the last 3 verses of Psalm 91 comes to an end, I wanted to focus on the last 2 words.  In verse 16, the Lord says, “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”  The last 2 words change EVERYTHING!  “My salvation!”  A couple of things stand out to me.

ONE … it’s not our salvation, it’s His salvation.  What a relief!  I don’t have to rely on my wisdom, cleverness or abilities to get me out of this mess.  I don’t have to come up with a brilliant idea or plan of action to make all of this go away.  I can trust in Him.  Can I take it a step further?  For some, you have people that you “feel” responsible for.  It could be family members, employees or any number of people that you have been placed in authority over.  And you genuinely care about them and don’t want to see them hurting or hopeless.  But what happens when we come to the end of ourselves?  What happens when we can’t give those we love what they want or need. 

That’s when the God we’re trusting in has to become the God they trust in as well.

You see, we can’t be everyone’s salvation, nor should we try to be.  Sometimes we need to step out of the way so our children can learn to trust in our God the same way we have learned to trust in God.  Our employees need to know that their salvation isn’t in us, but in God alone.  I know that’s a tough statement to make, but we can only do so much.

Ultimately, our salvation comes from God and God alone!

I write that not to frustrate you but to free you.  The same Shepherd that does everything we have been studying for us wants to do the same for those around us.  He wants to RESCUE them, He wants to PROTECT them, He wants them to CALL ON HIM, He wants to BE WITH them, He wants to HONOR them, He wants to REWARD them.  But the main thread in all of what we have studied is that He is the One doing the saving, not us.  Oh, He will use us.  But don’t get confused or feel a false sense of responsibility to be “THE SAVIOR.”  That’s His job.  It’s what He’s best at.  

TWO … His salvation is His victory.  Talk about a great ending!  God says I will open their eyes so they can learn the true victory that they have IN ME.  Have you lived long enough to realize yet that what you think is best isn’t always best?  What we think we know how best about what should happen and how things should turn out, but truth is we don’t.  God’s victory is way bigger than overcoming whatever the world throws at us.  God’s victory is overcoming sin and separation from God for eternity and walking in new life with Him.  Simply put … God’s victory is restored relationship with Him. 

I saw a chart the other day with some of the crisis that we have experienced since 2000. It looked like this:

2000: Y2K
2001: 911 Terrorist Attack & Anthrax
2002: West Nile Virus
2003: Sars
2005: Bird Flu
2006: E Coli
2008: The Great Recession
2009: Swine Flu
2010: BP Oil Spill
2012: Mayan Calendar
2013: North Korea
2014: Ebola Virus
2015: ISIS Terrorist Attacks
2016: Zika Virus
2020: COVID-19 Virus

       I don’t say this to sound unfeeling, but here on earth there will always be a crisis for man to deal with.  Hunger, war, sickness, natural disaster, etc.  This world in its current state isn’t God’s best for us.  It was created to be until Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and sin entered the picture.  How we think changed.  What we desire changed.  How we relate to each other and to God changed.  The bible tells us everything was affected by sin entering our world, even nature itself was affected.  Romans 8:19,20 states that:

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

       Want some good news?  As we have studied before, as believers in Jesus Christ, God offers us VICTORY over the power of sin in our lives today!  Fear doesn’t have to grip us.  Addiction doesn’t have to control us.  Shame doesn’t have to cover us.  Everything that sin tries to bind us up in doesn’t stand a chance.  Why?  God’s victory.  God closes this Psalm by reminding us that He will help us see the victory He bought for us at the cross as we journey through life.  Let me encourage you to give God your fear and let Him give you faith.  Give God your anxiety and let Him give you peace.  Give God your anger and let Him give you love.  Faith, peace, love in the midst of a crisis … sounds like true victory to me!

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