“Through God we shall do valiantly: for it is He who shall trample down our enemies.” – Psalm 60:12, NASB

This particular mission was unusually tough for me to take.

There was a lot of resistance, even our pocket money was stolen.

It was a failure in every sense of the term. We returned home defeated and dejected.

At one time or another, we have all faced defeat or disappointment; things didn’t go as we had planned or expected; a failed test, exam or interview – our team lost; a deal went sour; a relationship gone bonkers.

Stuff happens, you know, and during such moments, one can easily become prone to despondency and discouragement.

Our meditation today comes from Psalm 60, a song that David wrote during a period of great depression.

He had led his army to Syria and Mesopotamia (current Iraq) where they got walloped and sent packing back to Jerusalem.

“O God, you have cast us off, you have scattered us,” King David began in verse 1.

“You have shown your people hard things,” (verse 3.)

But after hearing God Himself declaring that “the nations are His” (verses 4-8), David re-organised his army for a new operation in Mesopotamia – more than 500 miles away from Jerusalem, the equivalent of the road distance from Kampala to Nairobi (reminds you of a certain General who said he could capture Nairobi in less than two weeks, right?).

The Sovereign Master says, “I’m taking what the enemy meant for evil and turning it into good.”

“Through God we shall do valiantly for it is He who shall trample down our adversaries,” David declared to his soldiers.

‘Valiant,’ according to the dictionary, means possessing or acting with bravery, especially when things are difficult or the situation gives no cause for hope or optimism.

Indeed, that new operation ended up being an overwhelming victory for David and his army as recorded in 2 Samuel 8:1-14.

Later, Psalm 60 became a standard tool for military training programmes for Israeli soldiers. 

Today, Israel, with a population of just about 10 million people, has one of the most fearsome armies in the world, as the Arab nations that surround that tiny nation would readily testify.

I don’t know what kind of defeat or loss or lost cause you are dealing with at this point in time.

But whatever it is, the message for you is that through Christ you are gonna see a victory, for the battle belongs to the Lord! Your testimony will become a popular song!

The Sovereign Master says, “I’m taking what the enemy meant for evil and turning it into good.”

 Prayer:

Almighty God, because it is you who fights my battles, I’m gonna see a victory. No adversary can or will ever defeat me permanently because I am more than a conqueror in the Name of Jesus, Amen!