The Perfect Strength
The word "strength" speaks to me sentimentally because of one particular verse in the Scripture which has always been in my memory since my younger days in faith;
"My heart and my flesh may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" -Psalm 73:26
Knowing the heavenly concept of strength is one of the very first steps that paved my way to surrender. In the early years of our group fellowship, we have all shared each other's accounts on our journey of losing fights and becoming defeated. We have shared tears too. But along with that was wisdom that we learned from our Heavenly Father that; in order for us to gain His strength, we must first lose ours.
Let me tell you about our small group's journey as we stumbled together upon the mystery of strength. We had different stories, but we often had similar traits of being "fighters"-- people who work hard, who always find ways, who are built with confidence and a mindset to stand 'strong and tall'. After all, we were all raised up in this world which encourages to create our own success. But by the grace of God Almighty, in His sovereign act, He made His way of allowing us to lose in our own endeavors and ambitions as to find His. At some point we have all confessed a testimony that "nothing seems to work anymore", "everything is gone", statements like these are very rampant as everyone in the small group were facing heartaches, debts, poverty, public shame, and just about everything that strips away every bit of eligibility a person needs to stand by himself. Until every human wisdom known was proven wrong, after every vain philosophy were exposed. We have all agreed, have all tested by the Word, and were all convicted by the Spirit, that the famous line, "Do your best and God will do the rest" is the devil's scheme to drown us in our own hard works and exhaust us in our own attempts to be our own savior. Today, we have humbly learned to depend solely on the Lord because He is able to lift up the low and humble the proud. Apart from Him we are nothing and we can do nothing.
While the world says, "Never Quit"
the Word says, "Surrender"...
and that changes everything.
Fast forward now, while listening to worship songs in shuffle mode, I also happen to flip my bible's pages open to this verse from the book of Habbakuk;
"The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments" -Hab. 3:19
.. And just at that very moment, as by divine fate, this wonderful worship song played at the background;
I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me
No great success to show
No glory of my own
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know
His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He'll carry us when we can't carry on
Raised in His power, the weak become strong
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect
We can only know
The power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end
He hears our humble cry and proves again
Writing this, I will testify that while we are in a race, yes-- seemingly not an ordinary one, one with a narrow gate-- we will be needing great endurance and perseverance. We will be needing not our failure-prone self strength. We will be needing perfect strength.
I thank the Lord for His grace of touching me with His Word of strength today.
"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength" -Philippians 4:13
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