The Triumph of God

"‘Houston, we’ve had a problem,’ were the words of Jim Lovell on the evening of 13 April 1970. Nearly fifty-six hours into the mission to the moon, an explosion aboard the spacecraft plunged the crew into a fight for their survival. Within less than a minute there was a cascade of systems failures throughout the spacecraft. ‘It was all at one time – a monstrous failure,’ said NASA’s flight controller.

The spacecraft looped around the moon, using its gravity to return to earth. Millions of people followed the drama on television. Eventually, the capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near Tonga.

‘Although the mission was not a success from a conventional perspective, it was a triumph of ingenuity and determination,’ wrote Paul Rincon, science reporter for the BBC in an article headed Apollo 13: From Disaster to Triumph. Jim Lovell said that it showed the people of the world that even if there was a great catastrophe it could be turned into a success.

The supreme example of triumph coming out of apparent catastrophe is the cross. What seemed to the world to be the ultimate defeat, was in fact the ultimate triumph.

Each of the passages for today tells us something about the biblical understanding of ‘triumph’.

Psalm 68:21-27

Triumph of God

This psalm celebrates God’s ultimate triumph over evil and, in particular, evil nations and empires. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan, writes, ‘We are invited [in this psalm] to watch the triumphal entry of God into his temple ... Israel’s God has triumphed. Right has won the day ... human hubris and inflated arrogance will at last be humbled before the majesty of God’s just rule.’

David describes a triumphal procession celebrating the victory of God over his enemies: ‘Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies ... your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King’ (vv.21,24).

There follows a picture of the worshipping community as it should be, with singers, musicians, tambourines and more, all praising God – and with the princes among them (vv.24–27).

Lord, I pray for our nation – that we would see a revival of worship and that the leaders of our nation would be at the heart of worshipping communities, praising God in the great congregation (v.26)."

1. I am grateful for being able to just worship You.

2. It was an amazing and fun day with the boys. It reminds me of old times.

3. Praise God for creativity and ideas, how these can build something so majestic.