They go from strength to strength . . . Psalm 84:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Psalm 28:8
As I think on my day, I cannot help but think about the mountain of circumstances and events that surround it on all sides. It’s fairly daunting and no health supplement will give the strength to cross over. But, the truth is, tomorrow is on the other side and despite the fact the mountain is tall and steep, I know it must be climbed.
I remember standing on the top of one of the “Ivy League Peaks” in Colorado and seeing the world from what appeared to be — the top! Mountain after mountain, capped with snow and rock blanketed the landscape in all directions. It was truly breathtaking. But the more than ten hours it took for me to get to the top was no pleasant journey. No doubt, there were pleasant moments — the scenery, the cobalt-blue lakes adorned with beaver homes, forests of aspen, the treeline and then nothing but rock. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean! But it took a focus, determination and a strength that was beyond my likelihood. My focus was on the mountain before me, I knew it meant climbing to the top — and it was obvious, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
It’s like that in life too. It’s easy to focus on all the mountains, in all directions, and wonder and worry about how to manage the challenges each of them face. But God gives us today and on that mountain calls me to draw upon His strength to get through it — to climb it. And if I strain in His strength, He assures me of even more strength! I move from strength to strength. He enables me to make it through today!
So, I choose to trust Him — my heart trusts Him! I call on His strength today and in the end, I see the beauty of His strength in me. It is throughout the day that I approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we [I] may receive mercy and find grace to help us [me] in our [my] time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Thank you Lord for the strength you have given and the promise of your provision of strength over and over again. It is through this I praise your name!
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105:1-4
by: Mark Cruver