Strength

 
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"Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant..."  -Psalm 86:16

That's odd.  I mean; what is the point of a servant?  Isn't the whole point of having someone work for you that they give their strength to you and your purposes?  But notice where the strength for God's servants comes from: "Give your strength to your servants."  God's servants serve--as 1 Peter 4:11 says--"by the strength that God supplies."

So, firstly, if you need strength today--and who of us doesn't?--get it from God.  God is not a God who demands our strength, but who demands that we accept His strength.  He is a God unlike any other idea of god anyone anywhere ever yet had: He serves His servants.  It's backwards.

Also, what strength are we getting?  Not strength in some generic sense, but God's own: "your strength."  This is a whole different kind of energy bar than those currently on the market.  God's strength is the strength that flung bajillions of stars into space, and keeps them keeping-on.  His is the strength that makes dead people into alive people.  It's "strength" on a whole 'nother level.

So, secondly, if you feel weak in a way that's overwhelming or debilitating, then this is the strength for you.

And then, how does this strength come to us?  "Turn to me...and be gracious to me."  It comes to us in God's presence: His turning is Himself coming close to us.  also it comes in His grace.  That is, in Jesus.  Jesus is God Himself, turning to us, coming near, "becoming flesh and dwelling among us." (Jn 1:14)  And Jesus is God's Grace given: "thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!" (2C 9:15) 

So, lastly, the strength that we all of us require is available to us in none other than your King and mine, Jesus.  God loves to give His servants His strength.  But He doesn't do anything that isn't at the same time moving us closer to Jesus.  To accept His strength is to accept the ever-meddling presence of His Son.  To accept His life-giving grace is to accept the grip of Christ on the projects and problems of your life. 

That's good news.  Much of life is like being a Junior High baseball outfielder: we run around shouting, "I got it!  I got it!" and then catch the ball in the forehead, or run full speed into a teammate (who is also shouting "I got it!").  Thank the LORD that we have what we need, in Christ, because what I need, I don't have, in me.

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