God wins His greatest victories when He snatches it from the jaws of defeat. I know in my own life, it has seemed that the enemy is winning the battle for a season and I know that God has His reasons for allowing it. But then when I am at my weakest and I feel like I can't go on, God comes in, upsets the work of the enemy, and upends what seemed to be a sure fire victory for our mutual enemy. The Bible says, "(He) frustrates the ways of the wicked."(Psalm 146:9). The awesome thing about all this is that God gives us a much greater victory than one we would have known had he not ALLOWED the enemy to think he was winning in the first place.
In Daniel Chapter 3:13-27, the story of three young Hebrew men is told. They were thrown into a fiery furnace to die for their faith. To the people around them it was a sure victory for the enemy. When the soldiers went to open the doors it was so hot it killed them instantly. It appeared to all there as if the servants of God were going to be defeated and die for their belief. We have all been in situations where our "feet are put to the fire" and it seemed like all hope was gone, we were beaten and all but utterly destroyed. The enemy was winning and we saw no way out. I can only imagine the way that Daniel felt when he saw his friends being taken to the entrance of this fiery furnace. The internal grief that was felt as they were tossed into the flames while their enemies waited to watch them burn alive. Oh the shock that must have been felt when they realized these young men were alive and not burning. Not only weren't they burning they were walking around and where there was three men before now there was four. The apparent victory for the enemy suddenly was a humiliating defeat and all for God's glory!
Now imagine that these three young men had lost their faith in God and cried out to him, asking, "Why didn't you stop us from being thrown into this furnace?" I believe that God would have burned them up faster than a chicken breast on a 500 degree gas grill!
My friends, if there is a great trial or a problem in your life that seems to have no answer, do not acknowledge it as a defeat just yet. Continue by faith to pray for the victory that is promised in Romans 8:37. It isn't easy and I promise I know, I struggle with it but we have to learn that in all the difficult places and valleys that God places us in that He is giving us the opportunity to exercise the faith that we have in Him and that no matter what happens will glorify His name.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 8:37-39 (ESV)
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