Working for Victory

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5c).

Even though God had promised Israel He would give them the land around the Jordan River; they still had to fight for it. God went with them, and, as long as they followed His directions, they won the battles. However, they still had to get out there and fight. Too often we expect God to sprinkle us with miracles, surround us with blessings, and drop victories into our laps without effort on our parts. But to get out of Egypt, the Israelites had to move, and to secure the Promised Land, they had to act.

I remember a former pastor telling about when he surrendered to preach and went to seminary. He didn't focus on his classes or sacrifice extra time to study hard. When midterms came out, he was stunned to see his low grades. Since he had committed his life to serving God, he expected God to take care of the rest. However, he quickly learned that God still expected him to put forth effort and to do his best.

This is an important lesson to learn. When God calls us to a task, the going may not always be easy. There may be struggles and problems along the way. He doesn't promise us easy, but He does promise to always be with us and give us victory in the end if we'll stick with His plan. As Joshua and Caleb found out when they led Israel against their enemies, struggling with God leading the way is so much better than struggling or ever easy without Him.

_____________________________