Victory?

Is God a winner? Joshua 5:13-15 is a great lesson about victory for us today. In this true event, Joshua, as the General of the army of Israel, is about to put his strategic plans for conquering Jericho into effect. The night before the battle, the Lord Jesus Christ (in a pre-incarnate appearance) meets with him and instructs him to do things a little differently, in Joshua chapter 6. Instead of Joshua's plan, God has a rather unusual plan for gaining victory. Now, if it were me I would have had to seriously question God's strategy, and maybe give Him some advice. However, instead of doing that, Joshua "bends his will" to God (by the way, this is the true meaning of worship) and follows the plan to the letter. Of course, we know the result and there was a great victory.
Now, if Joshua had not been open to listening to God, he might still have gotten a victory. But, it would be said that "God got a great victory because I worked hard, had a good plan, and acheived." This sounds a lot more like an achievement for Joshua, but not a victory for God.
As if God is ever less than victorious! We think He somehow needs our help, and so we do what we think is right instead of asking Him what to do. He has given us His Word to direct us, yet we constantly question Him, change what He said for our own purposes, or we ignore it altogether. Imagine what could happen if we always asked Him about our plans, looked into His Word, and let Him direct us?
Truth be told, it is we who are in need of victory, not God. Victory is not found in the outcome of a situation, but in our obedience and trust in what God has said already. He has not one time promised a life free of difficulty or pain, but He has promised a resurrection life that cannot be taken away. He is not interested in giving us health and wealth, but peace and freedom to serve Him in righteousness. Read His Word and put His plan into practice and you will know what victory is all about.