VICTORY!

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27

“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.”

“So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

“They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied. But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord continue forever!”

“If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.”

Well, we won, massively and thunderously, saving our clients tens of millions of dollars in the process. Blessed to have simply been in the right place at the right time, and having performed well when given the chance, my personal position has not been this secure for several years. Suddenly, I have renewed my “attorney” reputation as an “expert on experts,” and folks once more are taking notice. I’m actually quite humbled that the Lord has brought me so far in the past year. This is far and away the largest victory I’ve ever been a part of and one of the largest property tax jury verdicts in Texas history. Further, what started out as an exceedingly boring case about property values ended up an intriguing tale of deception, inconsistency, ulterior motives and outright lies. Just the kind of thing a litigator loves! There was a lot of euphoria and celebrating last night. Today, though, is restful and quiet, and I find I am in a contemplative mood, not quite ready to get back to the “real world” just yet.

It is just astonishing how this year has worked itself out (actually, how the Lord has worked it out) so far. It is overwhelming to see what the Father has done. The Lord of Hosts and of all Creation really does deserve all the glory! It is no less than Jesus Christ Almighty and His Spirit who has picked me up, strengthened my fainting and fearful heart, gotten me back on my feet and blessed me mightily. I so testify with absolutely no hesitation and no doubt whatsoever. God is richly to be praised! In a very real way, I believe He has rewarded my obedience in doing this blog (and related study and prayer) on a daily basis. He has once again saved me, this time not in a “religious” sense, but in a real, practical, down-to-earth way. At any number of points, the wrong approach, the wrong word or just not being where I was when I was could have resulted in a totally different autobiography at this point. But it seems I was not totally in control, whatever I may have thought. The Lord lifted me and made sure I was where I needed to be. I actually remember clearly the day trial strategy was first being discussed, and I was about to be passed over for any meaningful assignment. I felt the Spirit deliver a quick kick to the seat of my pants, urging me to volunteer to take on the other side’s most important expert. It was a do-or-die commitment, but Christ never failed me and helped guide me to a victory beyond my wildest dreams.

So today, I am resting and just giving thanks. I am also doing one more thing. I am meditating on how things might have been, and what I would be saying now, had we lost as grandly as we won. Would I feel let down, disappointed in God? Is my spiritual security still so grounded in secular results that I am a captive to the world’s standards? I honestly don’t think so. I have felt the hand of God, and was absolutely reconciled to His will being done, whatever that meant. The true victory happened long before the verdict was announced. The true victory was just in knowing that my heavenly Father and Creator actually, truly did care enough about me to pay attention to and intervene supernaturally in my situation.

I don’t need accolades or attaboys from others (although they certainly are nice and appreciated when they come!). I did not have to have this win, because I already had a much more meaningful victory in my personal life. I know – and was once more reminded – that my Redeemer lives. And that’s victory enough for anyone, once they really learn to claim it and rely on it!