The Strength of the Lord

“I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God; I will make mention of Thy righteousness, Thine alone.” Psalm 71:16
               
Since God the Creator is omnipotent, if we can go in His strength, there would seem to be no limit to what could be accomplished. The Book of Psalms, in particular, over and over again, testifies that God indeed is our strength. For example: “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:1-2).

But how do we appropriate God’s strength, and how is it manifested in our own lives? The answer is not what most would expect. “He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness” (Psalm 147:10-11). “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).

Our text itself indicates that going in the strength of the Lord is essentially to “make mention of Thy righteousness, Thine alone.” Speaking of God’s righteousness (not ours) in the fear of the Lord and the leading of the Spirit, hoping only in His mercy manifests the strength of the Lord.

Furthermore, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). And finally, the apostle Paul, who surely exhibited the strength of God in his life as much as anyone ever did, testified that “He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor. 12:9). His grace and His joy, shining through our own weakness, enable the man “whose strength is in You” to “go from strength to strength” in His service (Psalm 84:5, 7).