Yield to win

DEVOTION

PSALMS

YIELD TO WIN

Ps 60

60:1 For the director of music. To [the tune of] "The Lily of the Covenant." A miktam  of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry — now restore us! 2 You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking. 3 You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Selah 

5 Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. 6 God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth. 7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. 8 Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph."

9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? 11 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. 12 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

NIV

Again we are informed of the time and situation David was in when he wrote this song. It almost is like the old television shows of our youth when Gene Autry or Roy Rogers had some disaster to ride off to and save the day, but first they needed to sing a song. David has all this pending battles to endure, but first he has to sing a song. Nevertheless within the context, he is actually using this song as a prayer to God. It seems he feels God has forsaken him or actually is angry with him. It almost sounds as if life in not all a bed of roses just because we believe in God. David tells us he has been angry, but asks him to restore us. He says that God has shown them desperate times, but them also that he has provided so much wine they got drunk. This is just an example or hyperbole to show the ups and downs of life, even for a believer. However God is always there, always raising a banner again those who would fight against us. God speaks about saving them, about how he will give them victory over all parts of the land, all the nations mentioned. But the main message of this song, of this word of the Lord is that with him we can have the victory. With God we can trample down our enemies. The greatest enemy we face in our culture, in our society is Satan. We no longer battle our nations in the open field as David did. Sure, throughout our lives our country has been engaged at war. But now we are in a battle, not with flesh and blood, but against the principalities of evil, again the forces in dark places and that is why God has given us his armor. With God at our side, actually with us being at his side, we can have the victory over the forces of evil in dark places. It is God, not us who will trample down our enemy. We have no strength other than his. We have no abilities to fight against our foe, he does. If we try to overcome in our strength, but our own will, we will fail every time. We cannot decide we are not going to fail, we cannot decide we are not going to fall to the temptations presented to us. We have to yield to the power of the Spirit within us to win that battle. We must yield to win. It sounds crazy, but we are not yielding to the enemy, but to God. Once we yield control of the battle to God we win.