Strength

Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! . . . I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever . . . But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. (Psalm 73:1, 23-26, 28, NASB)

Psalm 73 is “The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.” The author is Asaph, a chief among the Levites, who had charge of musicians and singers during the days of King David, and who wrote many of the psalms. (1 Chronicles 16:4-7) In accordance with the title, this psalm deals with the wicked, but the portion above is from my highlights.

Sometimes it’s just best to let the psalm speak for itself.

Psalm 73:25 image. Found at Rejoice in Him, http://rejoiceinhim.com/life/a-remedy-for-overcoming-discouragement/

“Surely God is good” to His people, to those who have put their trust and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has surely “taken hold of my right hand.” I look forward to heaven, and seeing the Lord, because of His good promises. “This world has nothing for me (words from a song).” Though I may come up short, and my time on this earth will soon come to an end, yet my God will never fail me, nor forsake me. He is “the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” God is my refuge and my strength, “that I may tell of all [His] works.” God IS the strength of my heart!

Worship: “Made Me Glad,” by Hillsong Worship

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:28-31, NASB)

I must confess that I’m weary. I’ve never been so tired. Tomorrow I’ll probably be more so. The nature of my disease is one of progressive muscular deterioration (to the point of failure), and constant fatigue. Sometimes I’m too tired at night to let Sue brush my teeth! When I was first diagnosed with ALS, Sue and I researched the proper diet to use: High fat and high protein! The reason is that a person with Lou Gehrig’s Disease has to exert far more energy to move muscles than everyone else. Once the muscle fails, it’s done. As I write this, I can move my mouth (jaw), my tongue, my eyelids, and my eyeballs.
The diet (pretty much whatever I wanted; Sue made it, and eventually fed it to me when my arms failed) was fun while it lasted. In time, it became difficult, then impossible to eat, as my epiglottis (a muscle) could no longer keep food from aspirating into my lungs, and my jaw would wear out from chewing.
The passage from Isaiah says that they who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. I ponder that a lot. As part of my prayers in the morning, I ask God for strength to do what He wants me to do that day. As I wait for Him to heal me (God will do this if He wishes!), I lean on Him for whatever strength He can send my way.

Isaiah 40:31, found at worldwidechristianministries.org
Our Granddaughter, Colleen Cooper (one of our 12 precious Grandchildren), now 10 years old, was born with cerebral palsy. So far, she has never walked, never taken a step unaided. We used to have wheelchair races when she visited, and she always beat me, even though my chair is motorized! In heaven, in the New Jerusalem, where there will be no more sorrow, and no more pain, Colleen and I will run together. Not only that, but we will run and not get tired; we will walk and not become weary! I look forward to that day!
The Lord is my strength!

Worship: “I Will Rise,” Chris Tomlin

Tag: Strength

God, the Strength of My Heart