Victory Rests With…

I love verse 31 from today’s reading (Proverbs 21): The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.

If you watched someone who’s trust was in God prepare for and engage in battle, it wouldn’t look any different from someone who didn’t believe in God. You’d see both getting their horse ready, preparing their weapons, running out to the battlefront, fighting. They would look the same, but there would be something very different. One of them is praying inside, one is seeking God’s help, one knows that if he is victorious, the victory will come from God.

And I think you watch two pastors counsel people, or lead a meeting, or prepare for and preach a message. And the two might not look any different. Both would go through the same motions, but still something could be very different. One could be praying through it all, the other is just thinking. One is seeking God’s help, the other is counting on his own skills. One knows that victory will only come from God, the other takes the credit when things go well.

I’m not there yet, but I desperately want to be someone who works hard, who works like it depends on me, but who prays like and who knows that victory rests with the Lord.