Psalm 89:17

Psalm 89:17 ¹⁷ For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our horn is exalted. (NKJV)

I was discussing miracles of healing once with a good friend of mine in the medical profession. To my surprise she said that the real miracle is that we live at all. She went on to explain to me that our bodies are such complex machines that it if one tiny little thing gets out of balance the whole system suffers. She reminded me that it is Christ Himself giving us each breath and keeping us alive (see Colossians 1:17).

It is our inherent weakness that I want us to consider today. Let’s look at what the Psalmist says in Psalm 39:

Psalm 39:4-5 4 “Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. 5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah (NKJV)

If we learn nothing in this life it is the fact that we are frail. Our bodies cannot endure this world forever, they break down. During the Olympics I was watching an interview with the American gymnasts and they were talking about how they might not compete in 2012 because their bodies were going to be worn out at the ripe old age of 20. Worn out at 20 and these people are in top physical shape. All of us wind down in this life, our bodies will eventually stop. Every man is but a vapor, we are here for awhile but then we pass away and the clock keeps ticking impervious to whatever we try.

Don't lose hope however, let's look at our verse for today “You are the glory of their strength”. The strength that we have to accomplish anything comes from God! We glory in his great strength and not ours. Can any of us part the Red Sea? Can any of us move the sun and stars? Can any one of us create something from nothing? Can any one of us raise the dead? All these things and much more have been done by our Father. There is nothing that God cannot do.

Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In context Paul is talking about how he has learned to be content in whatever situation he is in because he knows that God is with him. The greater truth of this verse is that if God gives us a task it follows that He will give us the power to accomplish it. Think about that for a second – who gets the glory if God gives you a task that you can accomplish in your own strength? You do. Who gets the glory when God gives you a task that you cannot accomplish in your own strength? He does.

Look at what Isaiah says:

Isaiah 40:28-31 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,31 But those who wait on 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.

Verse 31 is pretty cool isn’t it? God will give us the strength that we need to accomplish His will. Once His will is accomplished we will give Him the glory. Let us start looking for opportunities to give God glory for His strength in our lives. Remember that we are the weak link in the chain but if we are connected to Christ there is nothing we cannot accomplish (see John 15:5)