When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook. - 1 Samuel 4:5
As with all Scripture, context matters; therefore, consider the context for the verse above.
Israel's arch-enemy, the dreaded Philistines, moved out to attack them and in a fearful reaction to that threat, the tribes of Israel removed the ark of the covenant from the tabernacle in Shiloh and took it into battle. First Samuel 4:5 pictures the excitement they all felt at this development.
Unfortunately, excitement wasn't enough. They lost the succeeding battle (miserably) and the ark was captured by the Philistines (an action they would soon regret, but that is another story), delivering a sobering truth to the Israelites to hopefully guide them into the future.
Reputation is not reality. The memory of past victories is not sufficient when facing a present and current enemy. While blessed assurance is a wonderful gift of God's grace, it does not mean we can ignore the daily, no, hourly necessity of cultivating a heart that "abides." Abiding (John 15) is a discipline and no matter how big your weekly "pep rally," no matter how loud your praise and worship, God must be ever-present in you, in order to gain the victory.
The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. - R. A. Torrey
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