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Devotional for April 12, 2020

Our Champion

 "Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies." (Psalm 60:11-12 NIV)

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Happy Easter to you!

 One of the worst feelings is feeling alone. The other is feeling helpless. As in, completely and utterly having to face a problem, a task, or any kind of hard situation entirely on one's own, without the knowledge or resources to be able to do so with any kind of confidence. We feel defeated whenever we face such a problem, and want to give up and give in, especially give in to hopelessness. It is a scary feeling, because we have to fight on our own, and feel fearful because no one else seems to want to fight for us, help us, or come to our aid in any way. This can also cause us to be angry and bitter, as we believe no one cares enough to want to see us succeed, or be able to overcome whatever it is we have to face.

 Fortunately, we have someone who, in every struggle, conflict, or any kind of situation is not only always with us, but is actively fighting on our side - Jesus. Jesus is always for us, cares for us, and always wants to stand up for us. He did so by achieving the ultimate victory on our behalf - victory over the devil, sin, and death. Then, by rising again, He shows that He is alive forever, and cannot die again, or ever be defeated. He rose again to promise that, no matter what, He is always with us, fighting on our side, winning victory for us.

 This means that, no matter how impossible our situation may seem, we always can believe we have Jesus on our side. He can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances to win victory on our behalf. After all, if He was able to defeat death, nothing can stand against Him. We also have the promise that He never stands against us, but always cares for us and loves us. He reigns supreme, and is immortal. He cannot be defeated by anything, even though we may feel defeated. But our defeat can give way to confidence, not in ourselves, but in the power of Jesus. Our hopelessness can give way to hope. Our anger and bitterness can give way to joy and anticipation, because we know Jesus is alway on our side and fighting for us. Jesus is risen in victory- and He is always with us to win victory for us!

 Dear Jesus, thank you that you won for me what I could not on my own - freedom from sin, and eternal life. In your Name, Amen.

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