The Lord’s strength never fails - Day 31

“It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:32, 34, 39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

FTT (Failure to Thrive) is a condition found in babies or children who aren’t developing at a normal rate. The causes for this condition are many, ranging from inadequate nutrition or care, to abuse of some sort. And then there are babies or children who fail to thrive for no apparent reason.

In litters of dogs or cats you will find what is referenced as the “runt.” The runt is smaller and seems to lack the strength the others have. Again, many times the exact reason for the runt being the way it is, is a mystery.

It does appear that in both instances I have referenced, there seems to be the elusive quality of strength that is missing.

We have all probably experienced times of physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion, where our output has exceeded our resources; and, we had to “shut down” in some way or another until we mustered more strength.

I was watching a video of a donkey giving birth. The donkey was lying on its side, lifting its head and its back legs, trying to push the foal out. After much trying, she then lay there motionless; you could see the muzzle of The little foal slightly protruding from her body. A person attending the birth said that she was going to need some help because she had no more strength. They stepped in and helped deliver the foal. Caught in this situation without help, she and the foal would have certainly died.

Sometimes the only ingredient missing from attaining success, is strength. Understand, we reference strength in many different ways: courage, endurance, stamina, and so on. Whereas these qualities may vary slightly in terms of what produces them, there is the common thread of strength. For our purposes, strength can be defined as the ability to withstand or to go on.

One of the first songs I ever sang in church as a very little girl was, “They that Wait Upon the Lord.” It was taken from this passage of scripture:

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 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.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:30-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

No matter what weapons you may have for battle, tools you may possess to complete a task, or even your training or acumen in any area, without strength to perform or endure, you will fail.

“The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The above scripture references a time where God’s people needed to go to battle; but, having broken His covenant, they no longer had the courage and strength to do what they needed to do even though they were well-armed!

Our portion from Psalms today takes us again to David’s reflection on his victory over Saul and Saul’s armies. He explains—in more than one place—how God provided the strength that was needed to win the battle. You see, no matter the foe or the challenge, God‘s strength gives the ability to stand!

What ever challenge, pressure, or attack you may be facing, remember: the strength of the Lord is the great equalizer. It is not about your strength; your strength can and will fail you. But, the strength of the Lord—working through you and around you—will never fail.

“For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For today let us know and understand what David knew:

The Lord’s strength never fails.

#100dayswithdavid