Online Reporter
Faith Moves Mountain with Pauline Matanda
“We have heard with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago . . . It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm and the light of your face, for you loved them.” — Psalm 44:1-3
The people of Israel are looking back at recorded victories — real moments when God intervened and granted them triumph.
They are recalling that what God has done before is not locked in the past; rather, it is a pattern that continues into the present.
The Israelites understood that their history was filled with undeniable evidence: God had made a way where there was none. He delivered them from Egypt, defeated their enemies and gave them a land they could not have claimed by their own strength. These were not isolated events; they were proof of God’s consistent character. The Psalm continues: “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory.”
This distinction is vital.
Their victories were not accidents or human achievements; they were acts of God. Since God does not change, the same power that provided victory then is still available now.
This is the foundation of their confidence: If God did it before, He can do it again.
This is a history that guarantees hope. When victories are recorded in the past, they become evidence for triumphs in the present.
The same God who worked miracles then is still working today. While His methods and our circumstances may differ, His power and faithfulness remain the same.
Every victory in Scripture is not just for those who experienced it — it is for us.
It demonstrates what God is capable of. When we read about deliverance, we are meant to see a pattern; when we hear testimonies of breakthroughs, we are meant to expect the same.
History repeats itself because God is consistent.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He fought for them because He loved them.
As the Psalmist notes, it was God’s “right hand, your arm and the light of your face, for you loved them”.
Victory is certain not only because of God’s power but because of His love — and that love has not changed.
The same love that moved God to act in the past is active in our lives today.
When we face challenges, we must not look only at the size of the problem; we must look at the history of God.
That same pattern stands today:
If God provided before, He can provide again.
If God healed before, He can heal again.
If God delivered before, He can deliver again.
This is what it means for history to repeat itself in a spiritual sense: God’s past victories become a guarantee of future ones.
The writer says: “Our ancestors have told us.”
This means these victories were remembered, shared and preserved. Had those stories not been passed down, the present generation would have lacked this confidence.
Therefore, we must also become keepers of testimony. We must speak about what God has done — both in Scripture and in our own lives — so that others can stand on that same foundation.
Today, many feel uncertain about the future.
There is fear, pressure and struggle. Psalm 44 reminds us that we are not the first to face difficulty nor will we be the last.
The difference is that we have a record of victory.
We have evidence that God moves, saves and restores. Instead of being discouraged, be encouraged. Instead of asking, “Will God come through?” we can declare, “God has come through before and He will come through again.”
Let us live with a memory of victory and an expectation of triumph. History is not just something to study; it is something to stand on. When we remember what God has done, our faith rises.
And when our faith rises, we can face today with confidence. Because the truth remains:
If there were victories yesterday, there can be victories today.
If God was faithful then, He is faithful now.
And because He does not change, victory is still certain.
derick.khumalo