The Lord is our Strength!

After reading words from so many about the incredible growth and blessings associated with “She Speaks,” it comes as no surprise that many of these women and their families have come under attack from the Enemy this week. In the midst of our faith mountaintops, there is often a twinge of the bittersweet, in the realization of the eventual, inevitable valley. God undoubtedly used last weekend to strengthen and encourage these women in preparation for what was to come. I couldn’t help but think of them as I read my Streams in the Desert devotion for today. While much has already been said of “stillness,” I am compelled to share...

Summon your power, O God; show us your strength. (Psalm 68:28)

The Lord imparts to me the underlying strength of character that gives me the necessary energy and decision-making ability to live my life. He strengthens me “with power through his Spirit in [my] inner being.” (Eph. 3:16). And the strength he gives is continuous, for He is a source of power I cannot exhaust.

“Your strength will equal your days” (Deut. 33:25) – my strength of will, affection, judgment, ideals and achievement will last a lifetime.

“The LORD is my strength” (Ex. 15:2) to go on. He gives me the power to walk the long, straight and level path, even when the monotonous way has no turns or curves offering pleasant surprises and when my spirit is depressed with the terrible drudgery.

“The LORD is my strength” (Ex. 15:2) to go up. He is my power to climb the straight and narrow path up the Hill of Difficulty, as Christian did in Pilgrim’s Progress, and not be afraid.

“The LORD is my strength” (Ex. 15:2) to go down. It is often once I leave the invigorating heights, where the wind and sunlight have surrounded me, and begin to descend to the more confining, humid, and stifling heat of the valley below that my heart grows faint. In fact, I recently heard someone say, referring to his own increasing physical frailty, “It is coming down that tires me most!”

“The LORD is my strength” (Ex. 15:2) to sit still. And what a difficult accomplishment this is! I often say to others during those times when I am compelled to be still, “If only I could do something!” I feel like the mother who stands by her sick child but is powerless to heal. What a severe test! Yet to do nothing except to sit still and wait requires tremendous strength.

“The LORD is my strength!” “Our competence comes from God” (2 Cor. 3:5)

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It is my prayer this this may strengthen and encourage you today, whether you find yourself on the mountaintop or in the valley. May you rest on His strength alone. He is ever faithful.