The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Deuteronomy 33:27
The comfort in these words is immense. Our circumstances, whether pleasant or otherwise, are not our eternal home. God is! Everything we see and touch, or that touches us, is passing away and is not to be depended on or thought too highly of. Underneath our weak frame in this decaying world are the everlasting arms of the eternal God to uphold us and strengthen us. He directs our steps, encourages our hearts, increases our wisdom, provides us with strength, and walks with us along the journey of life.
Baker James Cauthen was for years the General Secretary of the International Mission Board of Southern Baptists (then called the Foreign Mission Board). Once in addressing new missionaries preparing to go to the foreign fields he spoke these words.
You will discover that the Lord has a way of making his gospel fruitful, not because of your ability, but because of those strong everlasting arms. As you rest upon them and experience their power, you will have what it takes to do the task to which he has called you.
Now, you may never fail; but if so, you will be the first of Christ’s servants who has not failed. Whether we serve afar or here at home, all of us make our share of blunders. The unique quality of God’s servant is that he gets up again and goes forward because “the eternal God” is his refuge and “underneath are the everlasting arms.”
You cannot trust in the academic degrees you have earned, the years of experience you have had or the many talents God has given you. Your confidence is in the eternal God. Rest upon his promises, and you will find that they never fail.[1]
The hymnist wrote, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” and not upon ourselves do we depend. We come to Him in our weakness and in our sin to be forgiven and strengthened. Wherever we feel the need for His strength, wherever we feel our weakness most intensely, this is the place He is at work in our hearts and lives.
Prayer:
Lord, we praise You for Your faithfulness, that in our weakness Your strength is made perfect. Thank You that underneath us this day are Your everlasting arms. Amen.
[1] Baker James Cauthen, Beyond Call (Nashville: Broadman, 1973), pp 121-22.