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Response
The psalmist proclaims, “The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” «The LORD is my strength and song, And is become my salvation. », (Psalm 118:14, ESV). This verse is an exact quote from Exodus 15:2, a part of Moses’ victory song after crossing the Red Sea. In Psalm 18:1, David echoes the same sentiment, “I love you, LORD, my strength.”
Psalm 118 serves as a psalm of gratitude. The worshiper initiates by giving praise to the Lord for His unwavering, enduring love. In verse 5, the psalmist cries out to the Lord in his distress, and God responds by rescuing him. The songwriter then compares human strength to God’s power and recognizes that the true source of his assistance and survival is the Lord, who is the stronghold of his life.
Perhaps during your times of distress, you have never sought the Lord’s help. In your moments of vulnerability and need, you may have never envisioned that God could answer— that He would extend His hand from above to deliver you from deep waters «Send thine hand from above; Rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; », (Psalm 144:7). Maybe you are here reading this page because your heart yearns to understand, “How can the Lord be my strength and my song?”
The strength that originates from God, which rescues individuals from death and enables them to walk in His ways and be shielded from harm for all eternity, is not physical but spiritual «They go from strength to strength, Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. », (Psalm 84:7). Above all, we require the strength of God’s salvation. Humans lack the ability to save themselves. Only God can rescue us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through
With faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9; see also James 4:12). All we need to be saved is to “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” «And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. », (Acts 16:31).
Once we receive God’s strength at salvation, we can begin to “understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:19-21). The Lord enables us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” «Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. », (Ephesians 6:10). God’s strength delivers us totally and empowers us to do good (Psalm 84:7; Psalm 28:8).
If we desire the Lord to be the strength of our life, we can pray this incredible prayer for spiritual strength: “For this reason I kneel before the Father. . . . I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or im
Imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21).
We do not need any other source of power or deliverance because Jesus Christ is the strength of our lives. Even when we feel weary and ineffective, His power is perfected in our weakness “And He said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” , (2 Corinthians 12:9). Christ’s limitless life is the source of strength for those who belong to Him.
If we seek the Lord daily to be our spiritual source, He renews and fills us with the Bread of Life and Living Water (John 4:10-14;6:35;7:38). He gives us His strength so that we can walk in His ways and endure through every circumstance we face. Like the apostle Paul, we can say, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” , (Philippians 4:13, NLT). Like the psalmist, we can declare, “The Lord is my strength and my song.”
