Strength for What Comes Next
Well, bless my ol’ porch boards, friend! Come git yourself up here and settle into that ol’ rocker right over there on this ol’ front porch, so you can be lettin’ your shoulders drop a notch or two. Some days can leave a body feelin’ like an ol’ mule that’s been draggin’ a feed wagon uphill while an ol’ squirrel hollers directions from the fence post. We get plum worn out tryin’ to figure out how we’re gonna handle tomorrow, next week, and three problems that ain’t even happened yet. But Deuteronomy 33:25 gives us one of the sweetest promises in all of Scripture: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” God don’t promise a lifetime supply of strength all at once. He promises strength that matches the day He gives us.
That’s plum exactly what happened with Elijah. Under the juniper tree, he had reached the end of himself. God didn’t scold him for bein’ tired. He plum fed him. Then 1 Kings 19:8 tells us Elijah went “in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights.” The provision came before the journey because God already sho’-nuff’ knew what the road would require.
That’s downright how grace works. God gives strength for the hill you’re actually climbin’, not for every mountain on the horizon. He sho’-nuff’ gives courage for today’s conversation, patience for today’s burden, and mercy for today’s mistake. Tomorrow will come with tomorrow’s portion.
Jesus sho’-nuff showed the same pattern with Peter. He first said, “Come and dine” (John 21:12), then told him, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). The Lord refreshed Peter before He recommissioned him. Christ still feeds us before He sends us.
Paul plum understood that source of strength, too. He said, “Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily” (Colossians 1:29). Paul worked hard, but he knew the strength underneath the work downright came from God.
So, when your knees feel mighty weak, and your thoughts start gallopin’ ahead like a lil’ ol’ spooked pony, remember this: you don’t need Friday’s strength on Tuesday. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” God will meet the day with the strength that the day requires.
Father, thank You that You never ask me to face a day without providing the strength I need for it. Keep me from borrowing tomorrow’s worries and trying to carry burdens You haven’t given me yet. Feed my heart with Your Word, steady my steps, and use the strength You give me to serve others faithfully. Help me trust that when the next day comes, Your grace will already be there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Alright then, friend, gather up your courage and go moseyin’ into this day like an ol’ hound dog that finally remembered where he buried the good bone. Don’t haul tomorrow’s feed sack before tomorrow gets here. Don’t be tryin’ to mend next week’s fence with today’s ol’ hammer. God gives strength one day at a time because He wants us walkin’ close enough to depend on Him. And when today’s road ends, you’ll find that His strength was sho’-nuff’ waitin’ at every mile marker.
With joy,
Gwen
