June 10th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

In Him We Have Victory

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Lord, may Your love so possess me that everything I do in word or deed, will be to Your glory.

Read PSALM 18:30-50

[30] As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. [31] For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? [32] It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. [33] He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. [34] He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. [35] You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. [36] You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. [37] I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. [38] I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. [39] You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. [40] You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. [41] They cried for help, but there was no one to save them- to the LORD, but he did not answer. [42] I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets. [43] You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me, [44] foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. [45] They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. [46] The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! [47] He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, [48] who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. [49] Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. [50] He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing love to his anointed, to David and to his descendants forever.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5).

Think Further

The psalms often express passionate human emotion; in anguish and longing they cry out to God. David, called to be king, leader and warrior, wrote of the pain of defeat and his sense of abandonment (Psa. 13, for example). But this psalm is a victory song.

Both David and Paul received a powerful word from the Lord, David from Samuel (1 Sam. 16:12,13) and Paul from Ananias (Acts 9:15). They knew the joy of being chosen by God for a specific purpose, and the fears of failure. David was young and inexperienced; Paul was widely known for his persecution of the Christians. As David sang this song of victory and praise, we know that there would be further trials and defeats, some of which would be of his own making. Paul, writing to the Romans, had his plans but we know that his journey would not be as straightforward as he might have hoped.

During our journey of faith with the Lord, we, too, know that we are called to serve him, that our lives are part of his larger purposes for our world. Yet sometimes it is difficult to see why there are so many hurdles: a failed exam, rejection for a job that seemed just right; a house purchase that fell through. Some defeats have been our own fault, and, like David, we have to find restoration in repentance (See Psa. 51). Our defeats and difficulties may well have been God’s way of bringing us to maturity in Christ, by transforming our minds and growing the fruit of the Spirit. With Paul, David, the Lord’s people throughout history, and the millions who believe today, we can sing this song of triumph and praise, because in Christ the final victory has been won for all eternity.

Apply

Read vs. 30-32 again. Learn them by heart. Listen to them as you think through your plans for the future.

Closing prayer

Lord, I know the end of the story and that You win. I thank You that in today’s struggles, I am on the side of victory.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

View all readings

Get ENCOUNTER:

in your email:

in Print:

Become a Member | Visit our store