As Our Days…
…as your days, so shall your strength be …
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms
Deuteronomy 33:25-27
This brief but precious promise given to the tribe of Asher echoes through the ages to encourage our hearts. The number of years we will live on this earth is known only by God, but we have His promise that in each of them He will be active in our lives to renew our strength. He is our dwelling place for eternity and for this day and this night.
This is a reason for us to slow down everyday to take some time to be alone with God. As Jeremiah wrote, His mercies are new every morning. God’s strength comes into our lives as we spend time with Him in intimate devotion, shutting out those things that compete for our attention and affections. Challenging moments will often come to us unannounced and if we are spending time with God our hearts can rest that the spiritual strength we have at that moment will be sufficient for the trial. But if our hearts are distracted by the world’s agenda, if our spiritual life is corrupted by our pride and lusts, if we neglect the spiritual resources God has placed at our disposal, then the day of trial can become our day of failure.
But even then, the promise of the everlasting arms being beneath us reminds us that all of life is by grace. Even failure is not fatal for a child of God. The Redeemer still deals with us graciously. If you are still hurting from a moral failing on your part, remember that the race of faith is run in God’s power, not our own. Find His strength and His encouragement, stand in His grace and in His power, and you will find your faith strengthened.
As my days, so shall God’s strength to me become
Days of trial
Days of joy
Days of temptation
Days of victory and celebration
Days of sorrow
Days of sickness
Days of adventure
Days of tedium
Days of heavy toil
Days of peaceful rest
Days of summer’s heat
Days of winter’s cold
Days of confidence and of uncertainty
Days of friendship
Days of abandonment
Days of observing others
Days of receiving
Days of giving
Days of life
The day of death
For every challenge of life, God will provide the answer to my soul’s need.
Prayer:
Lord, may we this day find Your strength for this moment, and leave tomorrow in Your hands. Amen.