The Power of Twelve word for the month is strength. The scripture is Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock and firm strength of my heart and my portion forever".
It's been a long week and I feel like I have zero strength. In the past 10 days we have spent 12 hours driving to Portland and visiting the Emergency Room at St. Vincent Hospital to get Jerry help with his Rheumatoid Arthritis complications. Then we drove back the next day so he could see a Rheumatologist to try to find a new affordable treatment plan since we are on Medicare. Also this week I had half of a tooth removed due to problems with the root canal they had done last month. This is just one week among the 8 weeks I have been retired. Each other week had its own trials.
Just as the scripture says, "My flesh and my heart may fail", my mind and my body are exhausted. My spirit however is tuned in to the Lord. I curl up in His arms and just breathe. There is nothing I can do that will change what each day brings. I know this and He knows this. So I will cling to God my Rock who brings strength to my heart and to my mind and to my soul. There will always be those trying days and trying times when we have no strength physically or mentally. He says, "Be still and know that I am your God. The One who will see you through this. I will never leave you or walk away from you." He is a Father that cares about His child.
When you think of the word 'strength' what is it you see? I think most of us think of bulging muscles and a fine tuned human physic. We see a guy who can lift a dumbbell with hundreds of pounds attached. We see a runner who can run for hours and hours to win the marathon. We equate strength with the body. But in the Word of God there are hundreds of scripture that speak of finding strength to endure. Strength from the Lord. Strength in weakness. Over and over again the Word tells us to be "strong in the Lord and the power of His might", to "wait on the Lord and renew your strength", for "God is my strength and power". These scriptures are not talking about a physical strength. It is a spiritual strength.
When I was younger my body was stronger. When I was younger I had so many responsibilities with husband, children, jobs, family, friends, commitments, chores, and everyday life that God many times took the back seat. Now I have grown older and my faith is stronger than my body. Today as a new retiree my desire is to spend time in the Word and in prayer. At each stage of life the Lord gives us a measure of His strength to get through each day. But we have to be willing to take some time each day to speak with Him, to hear Him, and to allow Him to instill that strength into us. He knows your schedule and how busy you are each day. He knows if you only have 5 or 10 minutes for Him. He knows if you have an hour to spend with Him. He's not timing you but He does know the amount of strength you need for the day or days ahead. This is the time when the "portion" of strength is measured out to you. He strengthens your soul. He strengthens your spirit. He strengthens your mind. He gives strength to your tired body by giving you that "second wind" that only He can truly breathe into you.
God is the Rock. He is an unbreakable Rock. An unchangeable Rock. A solid Rock. There is no breaking this Rock. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He is our portion forever. He gives us a part of His strength so that we can make it through this day whatever it may hold for us. He puts a part of Himself into us. This is a miracle from the Creator of the Universe! He gives us supernatural strength in our minds, our spirits, and our bodies when we come to Him in defeat asking for His help. Matthew 7:7 says "Ask, and you will receive". He wants you to come to Him and ask for what you need. If you need strength, ask. If you need patience, ask. If you need wisdom, ask. If you need help, ask. Even though Matthew 6:8 tells us that He knows what you need before you even ask, He still wants to hear you ask. He wants you to come before Him and spend some time with Him. He might want to share something else with you while you are spending time with Him. He might just want to hold you in His arms quietly for a few minutes. God is that parent that holds His child and tells them a story. He is the one who loves us when we have a hurt. He is the one who loves us no matter what we have done. He is the one who forgives us. He is the one who gives us the strength for the life journey we are on. When we are weak, He is strong and He gives us a portion of His strength when we need it! Oh, what a Father we have!
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