“They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.” (Psalms 44:3 NLT)
I’ve had opportunity to look back a bit lately. Some of the ugly estate stuff is settling; the cars are sold, the property is cleaned up, Mom and Dad’s House is a mere two weeks away from being someone else’s problem. It feels like I am in a small lull between major estate stuff and my brother’s brain surgery on the 19th of March. It’s affording me some much-needed time to post-process.
The Israelites did this, also. In Psalm 44 they looked back over their history books and they saw something remarkable. They saw God. They looked at the Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea and the long journey to the Promised Land, and they saw God’s hand of provision and protection. They considered Jericho and each of the mighty cities utterly emptied of their inhabitants, they counted the foes that had fallen by their wayside and they knew that God had done it. They gave God the glory. They realized that He had moved on their behalf because He loved them.
In my lovely lull between waves, I’ve had time to see the same kind of provision, protection and way-clearing in my own story. I couldn’t perceive it when I was crawling through, but now when I stare back into the abyss of this past year, the truth of His presence is solidifying. Like the man in the Footprints poem, I can clearly see the places where the Lord simply scooped me up and carried me. Even though those places felt so lonely in process, He was there. He never let go of me for even a moment. He was there because He loves me. And from the small trough of this precious lull, I can trust that He’s already standing amidst my next wave, whatever that may be, with strong arms ready to carry me all over again.
The Israelites looked back and saw God in their story and the sight of Him rallied their strength for the next battle. Lulls create opportunity for seeing our Savior amidst our waves and a myriad of reasons to trust Him when the next one crashes.
“Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us. O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.” (Psalms 44:5-8 NLT)
Lord, You alone bring the victory and You get the glory. Thank You for being alive and real and present and powerful in all our battles, even if we can only see You in hindsight. May Your past performance record serve to solidify our faith in Your strength and Sovereignty. Amen.