The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Our Strength"
"If thou faintest in the day of adversity, thy strength is small" (Proverbs 24:10).
Isn't our strength always small?
"Without Me, ye can do nothing… We also are weak in Him" (John 15:5; II Corinthians 13:4).
In and of ourselves, we possess no capability for even the tiniest act of obedience to God. He rather made us to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10). Why then does Solomon reference a factor - "thy strength" - that has no bearing - or even existence - in our doing the will of God?
The answer lies in the availing ourselves of the strength of God. "Thy strength is small" refers to how well we know and trust our Heavenly Father to faithfully provide our enabling in "the day of adversity." When trouble comes, have we so discovered the faithfulness of God that we heed His call to "come boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy, and find grace help in time of need?" (Hebrews 4:16). Our "strength" lies in the recognition of "Christ, the power of God," the realization of our need for Him, and our knowing where to turn when challenged. "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped" (Psalm 28:7).
The old adage "God helps those who help themselves" does not align with Scripture. Again, "without Me, ye can do nothing." However, "God helps those who help themselves to His help" does correlate with His promise and assurance of "grace to help in time of need." Do we know the Lord Jesus well enough to join Solomon in his flight to God's aid?: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it and is safe" (Proverbs 18:10). We trust one to the degree we know him. This especially applies to our Heavenly Father, by whom we live and walk in faith and faithfulness. Thus, to whatever degree we have availed ourselves of "God our strength," based on His perfect reliability, we do well to seek His guidance to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Psalm 81:1; II Peter 3:18). This is our strength. He is our strength, and let us be found with Abraham, of whom the Apostle Paul declared…
"He was strong in faith, giving glory to God."
(Romans 4:20)
Weekly Memory Verse
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
(Galatians 5:25)
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