Ultimate Victory

It can be very difficult to envision victory in the midst of a raging battle.

A War

To take just one example from history, Allied troops were on the brink of victory in Europe after months of advances following D-Day. But December 1944 brought the Germans’ last great offensive maneuver. During the Battle of the Bulge, for the Allied soldiers caught on the front lines and cut off from reinforcements and supplies, it appeared that evil would triumph. But Germany was again defeated, and World War II concluded in Europe just a few months later in May 1945.

Followers of Christ may feel discouraged as they look upon all the evil and oppression in this world. In the present state of things, wickedness can triumph for a season. When evil gets the upper hand, God can feel very far away. All appears to be lost.

In Psalm 10:1-18, God seemed distant as wickedness appeared to gain the upper hand. But read the entire psalm, and you will see that ultimate victory belongs to God. Because God is loving and gracious to everyone, He withholds His judgment of evil to give people the opportunity to repent. During that window of time, believers need to exercise their faith and live with a settled trust in the Savior.

No matter how alone you may feel, Christ promised He would never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Victory is just over the horizon.

(Psalm 10:1-18, NKJV)

“Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; he blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; as for all his enemies, he sneers at  them. He has said in his heart, ‘I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.’ His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places he murders the innocent; his eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; he lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.  So he crouches, he lies low, that the helpless may fall by his strength. He has said in his heart, ‘God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.’ Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, ‘You will not require an account.’

But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none. The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more”