Deuteronomy 33:25 “. . .and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

It takes strength to be a mom. There are days when I feel as though the strength I have doesn’t even come close to equaling the output of energy and effort I exude. During a recent church service, one of the men in our church preached on this verse from Deuteronomy. I have been meditating on this passage ever since. God has been doing a work in my heart regarding the truths found in this verse.

We must all realize that we are completely weak in and of ourselves. Living this life for the Lord requires strength. The strength required is not something that we can muster up on our own. The only source of our strength is the Lord. In this passage in Deuteronomy, He promises us that the strength He will give us will equal the days that we will live. God has ordained, before we were even conceived, the number of days that we will be on this earth. With each new day, God gives us the allotment of strength needed for us to live righteously and glorify Him that day.

Psalm 39:4 “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.”

In Exodus 19, we find the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. They are hungry and whining for food. God sends manna from heaven, but there’s a catch. He supplies only a daily provision. When they collected more than what they needed for one day, they found it had spoiled the next morning. Day by day, they had to trust God to provide for them. What does this mean for us? God will not give us tomorrow’s strength today. But you can guarantee that He will provide all of today’s strength for us! For every day that we are on this earth, we can rest assured in knowing that God will give us what we need for each day.

This reminds me of a story Corrie Ten Boom shared in her book The Hiding Place. When she was a young girl, she went with her mother to visit a family who’s infant baby had died. It had just passed away, and when they arrived at the house, Corrie found the baby still lying in it’s cradle. She touched the tiny hand to find it cold and lifeless. That is the first time she had been made so aware of death, and it frightened her. That night when her father came to tuck her into bed, she clung to him, crying, telling him that she was so afraid of losing him, her mother, or one of her siblings. Her father so tenderly wrapped Corrie in his arms. He reminded her of their weekly train rides together. He asked her when it was that he handed Corrie her ticket. She replied with, “Right before we board the train.” He responded, “Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need- just in time.”

As you travel down the road of life, you’ll come to realize that some days require more strength than others. God is always previous! He knows what we will need before we are aware of it. We can trust Him to provide strength to match the need. We need not worry about the future, God promises to supply.

Matthew 6:34 “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself”

You might thing, Ok, I know all of this, but how does that play out in my life in a practical way? Let me share with you my takeaways, from this Scriptural truth.

• I do not need to worry about the future. The future is in God’s hands. Though I make my plans, I have no idea what the days ahead will bring. We can find comfort in knowing that God does! God has been so faithful to provide us with strength every day in the past, we can trust Him to provide it for the future. Whatever fears and concerns are looming in the distance, take courage knowing that God has already promised to give you the strength to face what lies ahead.
• I do need to prepare my heart and mind and my home for the days that lie ahead. I don’t have to worry about the days ahead because I rest in the truth that God is previous, and He has promised to supply the strength required for me to accomplish His purposes. It is my responsibility to be preparing my heart and my children’s hearts to be ready to receive the Lord’s strength. There have been days that started off great, and one phone call completely changed my world forever. In an instant, I was left broken and weak. I am so thankful that I had taken the time in the days, months and years prior to saturate my heart with Scripture and encouraging hymns. When sorrow hit and I couldn’t even find the strength to read my Bible, God flooded my mind with His Word through verses and songs I had memorized. We need to be working diligently to put truth into our children’s hearts, so when moments come that shake them to their core, their hearts and minds will be quick to find strength in the promises of God.
• God’s purpose for each of us EVERY DAY is that we will glorify Him and point others to Christ. I may not have the strength needed (or the time!) to accomplish my lengthy to-do list in one day. That’s ok! That doesn’t mean that God has failed me. God promises to give us the strength required to fulfill HIS purposes for our lives each day. What is that purpose? It is that we bring Him much glory, and that we point others to Christ. It may be a day that the only people I see is my husband and my children, and the only things I accomplish are menial household chores. Does the thought of being filled with God’s strength to accomplish His intent for my life seem to lofty for such a normal day? Absolutely not! We can glorify God, no matter what the task, by doing the task He has called us to. For me, that is being a wife and mother. When I love and take care of my home and those within it’s walls, I am bringing glory to God. As I am changing diapers and menu planning, I can be pointing others to Christ! How is that possible? When I serve my family with a heart of humility, joy and devotion, I am allowing my heart and hands to mirror the heart and hands of Jesus. He was the greatest servant of all!

We are living days that require much strength, and I wonder if even more difficult days are ahead. No matter what level of strength the days ahead will require, KNOW that God promises that as our days, so our strength. We can face the future with confidence, hope and peace resting in this promise. Whatever circumstances come into our lives, as long as we are trusting in the Lord and leaning on Him, we will have what it takes to not only endure, but to thrive!

You can listen to Brettnay share more on this thought on episode 5 of the No Higher Calling podcast.