The English word STRENGTH appears in my Bible more than 160 times. Even a quick glance shows the difference between human strength and the strength that God has and offers to those in need. His strength goes beyond adrenalin and any super effort we make because He gives it only when we are at the end of ourselves, without any power to deal with the problem or threat at hand.
Both OT and NT are clear regarding salvation; there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. This is a work of God. Exodus 15:2 says, “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
The NT says in 2 Corinthians 4:6–7, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” and “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The life of faith is not lived in human strength either. The Bible repeatedly says that God’s people rely on God’s strength and outlines many reasons why. For instance, only God has the strength to deal with our enemies whether physical or spiritual.
David said, “You equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me” and “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger” and “For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me” and “The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.”
Not everyone believed this. Isaiah wrote, “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’ But you were unwilling, and you said, ‘No! We will flee upon horses;’ therefore you shall flee away; and ‘We will ride upon swift steeds;’ therefore your pursuers shall be swift.”
They found out the hard way that God “gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” God’s strength is perfected in our weakness, not built upon our human abilities.
Jeremiah wrote the same thing: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord” and “My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail; the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand.” Learning we are weak is a painful lesson!
Yet God’s strength is there for us. The OT says, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” and “For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.”
Nehemiah told those who helped him rebuild the wall of Jerusalem to go their way and enjoy their food and “do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Those who learn to live by God’s strength discover a new power against fear and unrest:
Psalm 29:11. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Psalm 46:1–2. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.
His power becomes part of our worship as well as being a new way to live.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. This focus is easier when I recognize my helplessness as did Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7–10. “ . . . a thorn was given me . . . to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this . . . But he said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.” I don’t like being helpless, but God’s strength is worth being weak!
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