Strength for Your Days

It’s a pleasure to hear from Jennifer Epperson this week! You can learn more about her on the contributors page.

In Deuteronomy 33, Moses blesses the children of Israel before his imminent death. He lists a variety of blessings for the tribe of Asher. 

1. “Let Asher be blessed with children” (Deut. 33: 24)
2. “Let him be acceptable to his brethren” (v. 24)
3. “Let him dip his foot in oil” (a sign of prosperity) (v. 24)
4. “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass” (v. 25)
5. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be” (v. 25)

Verse 25 stands out to me. “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass” carries the idea that Asher and his descendants will have exactly what they need to protect them as they walk through difficult times and over rough roads. In addition, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be,” assures Asher’s people that God will provide them all the strength they need in perpetuity. I can only imagine that such a promise was quite comforting. 

Most of us can’t claim to be descendants of Asher, but that does not mean that God does not provide us with the strength we need as well. In Ephesians 3, Paul writes to the believers at Ephesus: “I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Eph. 3:14-16). 

Through the Holy Spirit living in us, we can be strengthened to accomplish all that God has for us to accomplish. As Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” With Christ as our source of strength, we will have what we need. 

One of my pet peeves is to hear people say, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” They often say this to people who are crushed beneath the heaviest loads. This nicety is incomplete and, therefore, uncomforting. Here’s the actual truth: GOD can handle anything going on in your life. We can’t handle this life on our own—not the physical ailments, the sorrow, the doubts, the spiritual warfare, the financial stresses, the mental anguish—any of it. But HE can! He doesn’t leave us to handle life on our own.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about his thorn in the flesh, that he prayed for God to remove. Instead, the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). We don’t have to rely on our own insufficient strength. His grace and His strength are perfect and sufficient for all of our days!