The Lord is our strength. As humans, we are weak and frail. We require the Lord to be our strength, as without Him, we cannot make it. We’re not called to a life that’s always easy-going. We are called to a life of a relationship with Jesus, to walk in the way that He directs. Step by step with Him, one step at a time.
We’re all at a different place in our journey. For some, the walk is currently easy; it’s a well-maintained path. It’s easy to walk forward because you can see the path ahead and some boardwalks make the journey easy. For others, the walk isn’t as easy; the path doesn’t have boardwalks, and there is a steep climb ahead, and yet no matter where you are, whether it’s easy-going or difficult, you are where the Lord has you, and He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He is our refuge, our strength and our help, as we see in Psalm 46 below.
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.”
He is our refuge, our help, and our strength, not only in difficult times but in the easy ones too. It’s often easier for us to turn to the Lord when we are going through difficult situations, circumstances and challenges. But do we turn to Him when it’s easy-going or do we say to ourselves, “I’ve got life under control and I can do it on my own”?
Psalm 121 says, “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.”
The Lord wants us to walk in step with Him, sharing our joy and concerns, walking so closely with Him that He’s the first person we tell everything to. He wants us to share in the beauty and joy of life, rather than treating Him as a vending machine in order to get what we want and ignoring Him once we’ve gotten it.
Walking in step with Him is a walk of faith, listening for His voice and following His direction; we don’t need to worry about having things all figured out, because we know that He has it all under control. Today’s the day that the Lord has made, and because we have Christ today, we have all that we need to live life to the fullest!
When Christ is ALL you have…..you have ALL that you need.
Luke 12:22-32: “And He said to His disciples, ‘For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
It’s often said that we need the Lord to give us strength, but He doesn’t just give us the strength, walk away and say “Alright, you’re on your own.” He is our strength. In fact, He is more than just our strength! He, Himself is strength and because of that He can supply us Himself exactly what we need; He is with us every moment, He lives out that strength in our lives and it’s for this reason that He says to cease striving. Imagine… because we know who God is we don’t need to strive… we can relax… and let it go… in the easy times and the difficult ones, when things are going well, and when things aren’t going well, when our life is going as we want it to and when it isn’t. When we’re healthy and when we’re sick, when we have a large bank account and when we don’t, God is there, and He is calling us to cease striving, while walking step by step with Him through the journey, resting and trusting Him as we know Him to be… more than enough.
By: Michael Needham
