“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.”
– Psalm 28:7
Yes, the Lord is truly our strength and shield! He provides all we need to withstand every challenge or trial in a manner than brings glory and honor to Him. Unfortunately, for most of us, we must first discover the limits of our own strength before we learn to rely on the Lord as our strength and shield.
Even when we cheerfully claim this verse for ourselves, we often continue trying to endure with our teeth gritted and by our own strength. We celebrate this truth, but often fail to truly live it. Too often we struggle to let go of control over things we truly can’t control (our health, other people, our circumstances, world events, etc.) We continue to flail away in our own strength, while blaming God for not showing up.
This isn’t how God works as our strength and shield! He doesn’t make us mighty. He reveals His mightiness through our weakness! The Lord’s protection is made visible in our brokenness. It’s usually only when we finally reach the point of total surrender that God’s limitless power really begins to flow through us. As He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” As a follower of Jesus, lean into the strength and power of the Holy Spirit living within you. Take ALL your agonies and struggles to the Lord in prayer. Stop trying to grind it out in your own strength and cry out to Jesus to strengthen you for the ordeal. Keep battling, but do so in God’s power rather than your own. Don’t hold onto control that rightly belongs to God. Trust in Him. Trust in His power. Release your grip and give thanks to Him instead.