Divine Strengthening
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"I will strengthen you — yes, I will help you!" Isaiah 41:10
Who will come with me to the King this morning, to lay at His feet a petition for the fulfillment of this Word of His grace, upon which He has caused us to hope? We shall be a company of Feeble-minds, and Much-afraids, and Fearings, and Ready-to-halts, and we may make but a sorry appearance in His courts. But our necessities admit of no delay, and this King is so gracious, and has so much love and pity for weak and needy ones — that He is sure to grant us, not an audience merely, but according to the desire of our heart. My own condition is such that I must have His help — or faint, and utterly fail; and I know there are many in like distress who will seek the King's face with me.
Blessed be His Name, we may come into His presence with holy boldness and confidence, bringing with us the warrant of our faith in His own precious promise, fairly and legibly written on the pages of His Word, without blot or erasure — and with no "ifs "and "buts "to mar its sublime simplicity: "I will strengthen you — yes, I will help you!" Does He not love to be trusted? Does He not honor faith? Can one word of His good promise ever fail; shall not the thing which He has said, surely come to pass?
And, as to our present need of support, some of us can say, with tear-filled eyes, "O Lord, if weakness is a plea for Your promised strength — then are we truly fit objects of Your mercy, for we are at the lowest ebb of helplessness; we have scarcely strength enough left to feel that we are feeble; we are 'brought into the dust of death.' God has "weakened our strength in the way" — to teach us our dependence upon Himself. He has humbled us — that He may lift us up. He has shown us our own nothingness — that He may be our All-in-all.
Most of us have needed this discipline of complete failure in ourselves — to convince us that our strength is in God alone! He has had to humble us, and to prove us, to know what is in our heart. And, alas! with some of us, it has taken as long a time to do this as in the days of old, when the Lord's people wandered in the wilderness for forty years before they learned the lesson. Ah! what trouble our God takes with us! What ungrateful, perverse, rebellious children we have been! He has had to empty us of so much that is abominable in His sight:
our pride,
our self-sufficiency,
our carnal security,
our own righteousness
— before He could fill us with His Spirit, and take pleasure in us — that it is no wonder the process has been a painful one, and cost us many a cry and groan. We have been cast headlong from the heights of our pride and self-exaltation — and then, as we lay bruised and bleeding on the ground of self-abasement, crushed under a sense of our own utter weakness — the Lord has drawn near, and given this gracious assurance, "I will strengthen you — yes, I will help you!"
But how shall I describe the joy with which we caught the first soft whisper of His tender voice, and recognized the strength-giving touch of His mighty hand? "I was brought low," we said — the words were scarcely audible, we were so weak — but God touched our lips with a divine cordial — and then, loud and clear from our unloosened tongue, rang out the triumphant testimony, "and He helped me!"
Is it not astonishing, the incoming of Divine strength — into an empty heart? Now we know by experience what the apostle meant when he wrote, "He said unto me: My grace is sufficient for you; for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Here we have the same Promiser and the same promise — but in other words. "I will strengthen you — I, the Almighty God, whose power is infinite — will strengthen you, a poor worm of the dust!"
Oh, the condescension and tenderness of our God! Our extremity — is His opportunity! His mercy follows hard after our misery. As soon as He has taught us our exceeding need — He supplies it with the bounties of His exceeding love. Then it is, that He gives us "beauty — for ashes, the oil of joy — for mourning, and the garment of praise — for the spirit of heaviness!" And, oh! with what joyful hearts and shining eyes do we afterwards walk in the light of His countenance! "Dear Lord," we say, "it is worth while being weak — to be thus gloriously strengthened by You!"
"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: 'Do not fear; I will help you! Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel — for I Myself will help you!' declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:13-14
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