But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Psalms 33:11, NIV)
Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. That seems to be the way most of us experience our lives here on earth. We golfers know that better than most people. There can only be one winner in every competition we enter. There will be lots of “others” but only one winner.
It’s terrific to be a winner, but what are we supposed to do and feel when we lose? The bigger question is what are we supposed to do and feel when life makes us feel like a loser?
The God we trust is able and can overcome whatever is coming against us.When we are in a struggle in our life—whether it is trying to care for our families, being successful at work, overcoming an illness or just trying to find peace in our heart—there will be times when it feels like a losing battle. As a follower of Christ, we feel like a failure if we don’t come out on top of whatever we are struggling with. Losing in life is much worse than losing on the golf course.
What we can know for sure is that nothing happens to us that God cannot redeem for his purposes. Even if we are losing because we have not listened to God’s voice and have tried to win on our own, God does not stop loving us. He still has a way forward for us. He has a plan for every one of us. That plan and purpose for us lies in his control. If we are losing for the moment, it doesn’t mean that God is not in charge.
If we know Jesus, we cannot ultimately be defeated. We have been bought with a great price and have been given a grand purpose for living. We are in a battle, but the final outcome is certain. We will win in the end and spend eternity with the Creator of the universe in a world where there is no more defeat.
So if it feels like we are losing, we need only to look at Jesus’s death and resurrection. All seemed lost. Jesus had succumbed in the battle against the people who hated him and they put him to death. You can’t lose any worse than that! But that wasn’t the end of the story. In a glorious burst of God’s power, Jesus overcame death and rose to life again. That’s a truth that should stand against any narrative of defeat that is going on in our life. The God we trust is able and can overcome whatever is coming against us. We know that we are connected through our faith in God to the winning side. We may stumble and fall as we struggle to win in this life, but our God overcame the greatest obstacle we will ever face—he overcame death and we can trust him with all the other things that come against us.
So whether we are winning or losing, we can trust that God is able and can deliver us from whatever comes against us. He is good. He is able. He can. He does. We win because we trust in him.
—
Linda Ballard
July 6, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.