Where Does Your Strength Come From?

From where does your strength come?

I saw it again in church just the other day… an older brother teasing a younger brother until the younger brother retaliated physically. I think that about summarizes my childhood. But, as I learned early on, punching your brother in the third row during the church service is a sure way to get in trouble. 

My heart goes out to the middle child. Sometimes, they’re referred to as the ‘forgotten’ child or even the ‘invisible’ child.

Yes, you guessed it. I grew up as a middle child. I had an older brother by 2 ½ years and a younger sister by 3 years. Then, when I was 10 years old, my youngest brother joined the family.

I think that my older brother’s favorite pastime during childhood was taunting me until I physically retaliated. One particular incident is very memorable.

I was about 8 years old when I nonchalantly walked into the house and asked my mom if I could use the extension ladder. She “casually” asked me why I needed the ladder, to which I replied, “I just need to get my glasses off the roof.” Of course, that led to further questions. 

Mom: “How did your glasses get on the roof?” 

Me: “I accidentally threw them there.” 

Mom: “How did you ‘accidentally’ do that?” 

Me: “Well… they flew out of my hand after using them to whip Rob. He was teasing me!”

Honestly, it may have gone better for me if I had simply tried to sneak the 15-foot ladder out of the garage to get my glasses off the roof… but then I would have had to confess anyway because my glasses would need to be repaired (A frequent occurrence I guess as a long-time buddy of mine recently recalled that he often saw my glasses fly across the room!).

Of course, as I grew up and matured a little, I realized that I couldn’t rely on brute force to try and get my way. Brute force is definitely one of the ways of the world and the flesh.

About 20 years after King Solomon, Asa was king of Judah. He ruled for 41 years and is considered one of the good kings of Judah during the time of the divided kingdom. At the start, he relied on the Lord for strength to defeat an overwhelming enemy and led his people in religious reforms (2 Chronicles 14 & 15).

But after Asa became successful, he apparently started to rely on his own strength and ability. In his thirty-sixth year as king, the northern kingdom of Israel came against Asa and the people of Judah. Instead of relying on the Lord as he had in his early years, Asa used his gold and silver to buy the favor of Syria so they would turn against Israel and relieve the pressure from Asa.

This action earned Asa a rebuke from the Lord through Hanani (2 Chronicles 16).

Hanani reminded Asa that he had relied on the Lord in his earlier years, then said, “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on, you will have wars” (2 Chron. 16:9, ESV).

As a kid, I had to learn that the Lord would defend me; I didn’t need to take matters into my own hands in an attempt to make things turn out like I wanted. This same temptation applies to life and leadership. It’s easy to forget what it means to rely on the Lord and instead rely on your own strength, resources, or experience.

But Asa’s history and the history of God’s people contain plenty of illustrations when they relied on the Lord for deliverance and direction. In Exodus 15, after the Lord delivered His people from the Egyptian army, Moses led the people in singing, “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him… You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.” (Exodus 15: 2 & 13, ESV)

Dear Saints, when in your personal life have you seen the Lord deliver you from trouble? In whatever you are facing today, are you relying on Him for strength? Or are you relying on your own wisdom, ability, and resources?
The Lord loves to “to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chron. 16:9 NIV). Let’s set our hearts to be fully committed to our God!