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Thursday, March 28

Week 4: The I AM says He WILL Help

Day 4: He will help you celebrate in times of victory

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He WILL exult over you with joy, He WILL be quiet in His love, He WILL rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

In my youth I was a cheerleader. Now let me be completely honest here. I didn’t have a clue about any of the sports that I cheered for. I literally had no idea what was happening on the field or the court. When the crowd yelled, I jumped up and down with my pom-poms in the air filled with excitement. And when the spectators moaned, I was sure to put my head down in disappointment. You see, I wasn’t a fan of the sport; I was a fan of the people playing the sport. And I wanted them to win! There are several things that I remember from my cheerleading days. I recall pep rallies, paint parties, and bus rides to and from away games. I remember clearly the vibe on the bus on the way home. The atmosphere was totally dependent on whether we suffered an “L” or if we gained a “W”! If we had experienced a loss, the mood was quiet and somber. But if we had come out on top, the feeling in the air was jubilant. I even remember a few of those chants and cheers that we would all shout in unison. “Split the V! Dot I! Curve the C, T O R Y! Victory, Victory, Victory!” And there was not a better feeling than to be on that bus after a win dancing in our seats to the boom box’s blaring of QUEEN’s “We Are the Champions”! To this day, when I hear that song I’m transported back to those bus trips of my youth, stinky post-game athletes and all.

When we are experiencing the agony of defeat in our lives, we naturally, as women of faith, turn to God. We memorize and cling to scripture like Psalm 23:1-4, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me”. Now don’t get me wrong, we want to turn our eyes upon Jesus when we are overwhelmed by the losses of this world. And as Chris Baxter wrote yesterday, we can be confident that He WILL help us in times of trouble. But Sisters, Psalm 27:13 is also a verse also worthy of committing to memory, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Good things happen during our earthly life; things that we can cheer about and celebrate and praise His name for. After all, “Every good and perfect gift is from the Lord” James 1:17.

I am a quote nerd and one of my favorite quotes about friendship is “A true friend not only cheers you up, they cheer you on!” As we are facing life’s battles, we can be confident that our truest friend, Jesus, is an advocate for us to gain a win! He is for us! We are, after all, on His team! A victory for us is a victory for Him. I can just see Him passing out high fives to the angels in the heavenly realms and letting out a loud “Whoop-Whoop” when one of his children triumph in His name, giving Him all glory and honor and praise.

The ultimate celebration will come when we gain that final victory and join Him for eternity in Heaven. I can only imagine what it will be like to hear our Father, our Lord, our number one Fan and Cheerleader as He speaks to us rejoicing in our presence saying “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Sisters, victory is ours when we are on God’s team. And He WILL celebrate with us over each win!

Further Reading: Isaiah 12:5-6; Psalm 16:7-11; Matthew 25:23; Luke 15:10

Dear Lord,

We come to You this morning on bended knee unable to hide our thanksgiving and praise for all that You are! You are our God! You are our Father! You are our Friend! You are our Cheerleader! It is almost beyond comprehension, Lord, to image that You would celebrate our Victories with us, for us. And Lord, the thought of that makes me smile. I acknowledge that any victory that I have is only because of You and Your favor that surrounds me like a shield. (Ps 5:12) Every triumph in my life is evidence for the world to see You. Today Lord, in each victory BIG and small, may you get all the glory! May Your name be exalted in every success that I have. And may my life, victories and defeats, bear witness that I belong to You! Thank you, God for caring so much about me that You are not only there to cheer me up, but to cheer me on! In the sweet name of Jesus! Amen