Never Stay In Defeat

“They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.” (Ps 20:8 AV)

How encouraging is that?  Compared with those who hate God, those who love Him will be victorious.  David is comparing the behavior of the lost toward him and his response to the situation.  What I wish to consider is the second half of this verse on its own.  Not that we want to ignore context.  Heaven forbid.  But truths found in the word of God do have general principles that apply across different contexts.  This is one of them.  This precious truth is those who are called by the name of the LORD Jesus Christ will always be victorious.  We may get knocked down from time to time.  We may suffer a setback or two.  We may wish for a better tomorrow.  But, unlike those who hate God, we will not remain defeated.  We will rise!  We will stand upright!  There isn’t much that can knock us down and when it does, we do not stay down!  That is the promise!

Getting the wind knocked out of you is scary, but in reality, it is a harmless event.  When it happens, you think you are going to die.  You cannot breathe.  Panic might even ensue.  It has happened so many times, that I struggle to find any single incident I can remember apart from others.  I do remember one time getting the wind knocked out of me involved a banister somewhere.  I remember that only because I also remember the pain associated with bruised ribs.  I cannot remember who was with me at the time.  Where I was.  Or even how long ago that was.  Perhaps the only reason I remember that it happened sometime in my life is the aches that sometimes occur in the bottom of my rib cage.  I am sure that I went down.  I am sure that I writhed in panic and pain.  I am sure if there was someone with me, they told me to calm down and take deep breaths.  I am sure I survived because I am here today, writing this blog.  Getting the wind knocked out of me didn’t last long.  As most of these events don’t last long.  They are temporary.  They are scary.  It doesn’t take long before we are breathing normal again.

That is the life of the saint.  We get the wind knocked out of us.  We lose the wind in our sails.  We may even become anxious and panic a bit.  But if the LORD is with us, it doesn’t take long to catch our breath.  Whatever caused us to lose our strength may have inflicted some long-lasting scars.  But it could not steal our breath without recovery.  This is the promise above.  The saints of God may take hits.  Sometimes, those hits are frequent and hard.  Yet the child of God has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He does not stay down.  The power of the Spirit encourages and empowers.  He reminds us of promises that answer to the trial before us.  He comforts our hearts with His presence so when we are sucking air, His touch of calm brings us back from worry or panic.  This promise the lost do not have.  There is no promise of overcoming.  There is no hope of surviving.  All that awaits the enemies of God is a permanent state of torment.  Not us!  Glory!  We have a divine Father who loves us more than we could ever comprehend and for that, we have assurance that no matter how many times we get knocked down, we will arise!  And, we shall stand upright.