Defeat, a Word to Never Use

           This week, Mother and I heard a Dottie Rambo song from decades ago. The phrase And defeat is one word I don’t use from the song, “Too Much to Gain to Lose” caught my ear. My search began on the shelves housing our music.

 When I realized we didn't have the printed music for it, I logged onto a site I discovered during our care of Dad. Within a couple of minutes, I had purchased and printed for Mother the Dottie Rambo song published in 1968. When we sang I played from my digital copy from my Kindle. We took turns singing the harmony.

                I mentioned to Mother how Dad would often respond adamantly, if a discouraging statement was voiced, “I don’t want to be defeated.” Many times, I heard him pray during trying times, “Lord, we want to be encouraged not discouraged.”

The Bible featured more than one hero of the faith who refused to admit defeat. That thought took me back to many years ago in a small room in the Masham Baptist Church. One of my first Sunday School teachers was Mrs. Mitchell. When Grandma sent her a card, it was addressed to Mrs. Herschell Mitchell. My sister, Angie, lovingly called her “Mrs. Bea" when she was her preschool Sunday School teacher.

Mrs. Bea Mtichell, as photographed 
when she taught Sunday School at the
Masham Baptist Church

                One of the intriguing Bible stories she turned to in her Bible in Genesis 26:12-30 featured Isaac, the child of promise born to Abraham and Sarah. After his marriage and birth of his twin boys, Isaac began to reap the blessings God promised. He lived in Canaan among the Philistines. They “stopped up” the wells his herdsmen used for watering Isaac’s herds and flocks. Mrs. Mitchell told her class of wee little ones how Isaac just moved to another spot, dug another well, and the quarrelsome herdsmen of Gerar stated emphatically, “The water is ours.” The scenario replayed itself with the troublesome neighbors. Finally, Isaac dug a fourth well, and no quarrel ensued. Isaac rejoiced in the peace and named the well Rehoboth, a name meaning “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

                Mrs. Mitchell’s lesson goal was teaching preschoolers how to get along with others in life. She wanted us to learn God’s way to avoid “defeat” in our relationships with others. Mrs. Mitchell was teaching us to never give up on making peace. Isaac refused to admit defeat in achieving peaceful existence with those around him. Isaac reacted in surprise when the contentious neighbors came to “make a covenant” with him because they observed, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you.” The victory brought by the Lord to Isaac showed the godly consequence of persisting in obedience, living in faith not in defeat. Even the combative people couldn't help but observe God's presence with His undefeated child, Isaac.

Defeat may follow on the heels of fear, weariness, anger, outright disgust, mental or emotional fatigue, or failure dogging one’s steps. These verses can spur us to continue in faithfulness despite not seeing the results we yearn to see.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Proverbs 24:10

For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity. Proverbs 24:16

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

                Isaac’s devotion to God empowered him to persist in pursuing peace instead of defeat with his contentious neighbors. Our commitment to Jesus makes us righteous. Paul wrote so eloquently in 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

                Lord, thank You for who we are in Christ, the very righteousness of God. As we look to You each day for power and strength to not lose heart in defeat, may we anticipate the goodness of the Lord, knowing we will see Your plan unfold in triumph - a triumph only You can bring.

Note - As I finished this blog posting, I remembered the posting link below, In this posting on prayer, Mrs. Mitchell was the woman who lived near Victor School and saw the light from the all-night prayer meeting when she had to be up in the middle of the night. Her obituary on findagrave.com mentioned her being a charter member of the Masham Baptist Church. https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-of-most-unused-sources-of-power.html