Day Eleven Strength
I am amazed more and more each day just how much strength I gain as I depend on God for my needs. His strength is beginning to build me into a new person, a person who depends more and more on his word in my daily search for new purpose. I am reminded of Joseph, who as a young man suffered terribly at the hands of his own family. Joseph must have searched for the strength of God many times during his ordeal, and knew exactly what his father meant as he spoke these prophetic words before his death.
Genesis 49:22-26
22Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of
25Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
It is important to remind ourselves each day that we do not bear this season of pain alone. God will walk before us, we need only to step inside his footprints and walk where he leads. Those first steps are scary to say the least, they require total faith that God has our best interests in mind, and to trust him fully. He will require you to step out of the comfort of the safe zone you built around you as a protection from the pain you feel.
Moses is one great example of just how much power we can gain when we rely on God’s strength fully. Here was a man, a murderer, who ran and hid from his sin to a remote place. He completely changed his life, and built a reputation of trust and love with his new father-in-law. He built for himself a world where the memories of his sin….his pain….were so distant that they seemed erased. How so like God to require him to go back to the place of his sin to do the work God called him to do. Moses argued and pleaded and gave many excuses in front of that burning bush before he finally gave in and began to walk in the footsteps of God. He took up a symbol of courage, a simple staff, and began an amazing journey that freed many people from bondage. His words to those people as they left Egypt were powerful words, spoken from a heart who had healed his own pain by relying on the strength of God to take every step. What mighty power God was able to weld through that simple staff Moses held, parting the seas to conquer foes, calling water out of a barren land, and climbing mountains to receive the very first words of our bible.
Exodus 13
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
3And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
Exodus 15
1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
3The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
4Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
We must remember that God is in total control. And we must remember that to walk in his footprints is a daily choice. Just as he is able to build strength in us, he will allow that strength to be removed if we do not choose to use it. He will allow us to be humbled if we start walking outside his footprints again. My daily walk is so like those Israelites, who took two steps forward with Moses’ leadership, then fell fifty miles backward when they went their own way.
Judges 3:12:
12And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
Satan is also poised and ready to take your newfound strength away. Guard your new possession with all your might. Satan knows your every weakness, and will use this knowledge to stop you from using the power you gain from God’s strength. Sampson, a mighty warrior for God fell so hard as he succumbed to the weakness Satan provided in the form of a beautiful woman.
Judges 16:19:
19And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
I remember the night I first returned to church after Mitchell had passed, and I was speaking with my pastor about how things were going. I had been studying the bible before his death, and knew I needed to return to the word for comfort, guidance and direction, so I asked him what chapter might help me the most. With quickness he recommended the Psalms. As I began to read this book that night, a mighty picture of strength emerged in a man hiding from his enemies. Oh how David knew well the strength of God. Many of his Psalms speak of the power God gave him to endure the long nights of hiding from King Saul. Over and over he cries out to God in thanks for the great strength he provided. What a wonderful book of encouragement these scriptures give us.
Psalm 18
1I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
Psalm 18:2:
2The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Psalm 19:14:
14Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Psalm 27:1
1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:14
14Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 28:8:
8The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
Psalm 31:24:
24Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Psalm 46
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 73:26:
26My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Psalm 81
1Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
Psalm 105:4:
4Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Even the great prophet Isaiah spoke of the mighty strength of God. He foretold how the strength of his God would someday be manifested to Earth and provide a permanent way for each of us to receive the power his strength can provide. Christ’s death on the cross allows us to ‘behold our salvation’ and not fear our new life without the loved one we miss so much. If we trust God, he will allow us to step in his footsteps everywhere he asks us to go, just like that Dad who carried you on top of his feet, as he walked across the room.
Isaiah 12:2:
2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
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