UV 897/10,000 The Banner of Victory
“Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.”
Psalm 60 v 4
In times of war, the banner that was raised above all the troops was intended as a sign of triumph. As long as it was held up, the troops knew that they were winning and their spirits would begin to sag only when they fail to see it. The Lord keeps a spiritual banner of love and victory over those who fear Him. We do not have to wait for victory before we praise and glorify Him for it. We need to remember all the past victories the Lord had given us in our struggles in different areas of our lives and worship Him. This is the reason Moses erected an altar and called it Jehovahnissi or Jehovah’s victory. This was no longer the reluctant and diffident leader when God had called him to lead the Hebrew people out of captivity in Egypt. He had already tasted the great deliverance and seen the amazing victory God had given them. He was proclaiming in faith the victory of Jehovah for all time and all eternity. This is the reason the Jewish diaspora who were scattered in the first millenium like the dust is scattered to the four corners of the earth were gathered back as the nation of Israel after World War II. We need to erect an altar of worship in our hearts and our hearths. We need to offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving for these triumphs in our lives.
The second banner the Lord keeps over His beloved people is the banner of love. The rainbow was revealed to Noah after the great flood as a sign of God’s love and faithfulness. Each colour of the rainbow is a symbol of victory in a different area of our lives: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, social, physical, professional and material. God’s promise to man is that when the enemy of our souls rises against us like a flood, He will raise a standard to make him flee. That standard is the cross. The cross is the ensign for all mankind that Christ has won a victory for each of us and all of us over sin and death.
The Lord places His banners only over those who are faithful to Him and have a personal relationship with Him. The banners God has given us are not meant to be folded and kept away but to be displayed so that others who are in search of victory and love can also come and take refuge under the banner. The Lord has often affirmed while we were in prayer that He has raised a huge flag or banner over our home. The enemy sees it and realizes that this is not his territory and that it is out of bounds for him.
Prateep V Philip.
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