WHAT OPENS THE DOOR OF VICTORY?

Psalms 107:26-31: “Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths, their courage melting away in anguish,  [27] they reeled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their skill was useless.  [28] Then they cried out to the  Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.  [29] He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.  [30] They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet. Then he guided them to the harbor they longed for.  [31] Let them give thanks to the  Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity.” CSB

OBSERVATION: What opens the door to victory? If we ask anyone what they would rather experience, victory or failure, the unanimous choice would be victory. There is an innate desire within each one of us to win.

Yet, how to win in life is the question we struggle with.

Now, surely, there is a difference in the definition of winning for the Christ follower. For the Christ follower winning does not have anything to do with the physical possessions or entrapments of this world. Yet, in life, we face times of spiritual struggle and difficulty. We want to push through these times into the abundant life that Jesus has promised.

We want to walk through the door of victory!

The verses from Psalm 107 give us some insight into how we can do this. The Psalmist writes of skilled seamen who were caught in a terrible and life-threatening storm. They were looking into the very eye of death. The storm was more than their skill set could handle. Trying everything, and facing an insurmountable storm, they cried out to the Lord.

“Then they cried out to the  Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.”

Yet, the door to their victory was not in their prayer for help in their time of distress. The door to their victory was found when they had exhausted all of their skills and knew that there was nothing they could do. They had to willingly surrender their strength and ability to the Lord and fully place their trust in Him.

The door of victory is absolute surrender!

“…They reeled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their skill was useless.”

When we realize that God does not need our skills or our intellect, we are positioned to enter the door of victory. The door is narrow. It is the same door we entered when we met Jesus for salvation. We brought nothing to the cross for our salvation and we bring nothing to the cross for our sanctification and victory in life. We must lay everything down to enter the door by grace through faith.

I think of the wonderful hymn – “What a Friend we have in Jesus”.

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer

Oh what needs we often forfeit

Oh what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer

Imagine if the seamen dug in saying –“I’ve got the skill to navigate through this storm!” They may have persevered for a few more hours but they would have met their fate with the countless others whose ships lay buried in the sea of self-reliance and stubbornness. The door to victory is absolute surrender. It is to take up our cross and follow Jesus. It is to lay everything at the foot of the cross and cry out to Him for help in our time of need.

There was a time when I would carry needless pain because I was unwilling to admit that my skills were insufficient for the storm I was facing. This is not strength. This is prideful stupidity. The God of all creation is looking over the entire earth to show Himself mighty on behalf of the one who will humble himself and pray. He is looking for the one who will lay down all his skills so that he can take up his cross and follow Jesus.

Matthew 16:24-26: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.   [25] For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.   [26] For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?” CSB

Lord, as I face the storms of life, may I be like these humble seamen who laid down all their skills and put their trust fully in You. May I deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Jesus into the abundant life, the overcoming life, the victorious life that He has promised to those who will believe!

In Jesus’ Name!