Topic: Sometimes Victory Does Not Feel Like Victory

Text: Romans 8:35-39

After standing by a close friend’s children so that the siblings did not subvert her will, I was publicly embarrassed at the funeral. I didn’t react to them in anger but left quietly. A well-respected pastor who was part of the situation saluted my courage and admired my non-violent response. He told me, “You are truly a woman of God…!” Hmm! When I got back home earlier, I had wept before the Lord. I knew I had done the right thing by leaving the scene even though I was unjustly treated but deep down in me, I didn’t feel good. That was when this expression came to me, “sometimes victory does not feel like victory.”

Apostle Paul reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. When Peter asked Jesus what would be their reward for leaving all to follow Him in Mark 10:28, Jesus’ response included so many nice things but there was a caveat in verse 30 that the nice things would come with persecution. This is the part that is not often talked about in the Church but has become the reality of many Christians.

We expect our lives as Christians to be smooth, straight paths that do not include challenges. We do not expect suffering to be part of our walk with the Lord. We are unprepared for how to respond to difficult circumstances that surround our lives and ministry. Jesus told His disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).

The fact is that when we walk in obedience to the Lord, we leave the outcome to Him. That is the path of victory in Christ. When a missionary gets killed on the field in active service; a missions supporter’s business is attacked etc, we experience a deep sense of loss and sometimes confusion because we know we acted in obedience but the outcome was not what we expected. Paul encourages us to keep faith in the knowledge that nothing can separate us from the love of God. He directs us to a counter-cultural perspective, “We are more than conquerors through Christ” Rom 8:37. He reminds us of the finality and assurance of our victory despite the onslaught of the enemy against us. Our victory is based on the finished work of Christ.

This is our reality as believers and is not subject to how we feel. We are called to walk in obedience and live in the light of the reality of His word no matter how we feel. So even when victory does not feel like a victory, as we walk in obedience to the Lord, let us rejoice in the fact that we are more than conquerors, and overcomers in this life!

Song:
We’ve been made more than conquerors
Overcomers in this life
We’ve been made victorious
Through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Prayers
1. Lord, help me to remain steadfast in obedience to You, even when the outcome is painful or unclear. Strengthen my heart to trust in Your perfect will, knowing that true victory is found in walking according to Your word.
2. Father, when victory does not feel like victory, remind me that my triumph is in Christ and not in my emotions. Give me the faith to hold on to Your promises and to see my trials through the lens of Your eternal victory.
3. Lord, strengthen missionaries, mission supporters, and believers facing trials for Your name. Fill them with courage, peace, and the assurance that nothing can separate them from Your love. Let their lives be testimonies of Your overcoming power.

Dr Mrs Nosa Tukura
Mission Suporters League
Jos, Nigeria