After safely crossing the Red Sea and watching God decimate the Egyptian chariots and troops, Moses and the Israelites sang, “The Lord is my strength” (Exodus 15:2).
Even before the fall into sin, people were not all-powerful. Only God is omnipotent. We were designed to be connected to his strength. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29).
Having said that, most of us work on being strong, capable, and independent. I’ve done this my whole life. So have you. With great pride we learn to feed and get dressed by ourselves. We walk, run, and drive anywhere we want to go. If we work at it, we can become stronger and smarter.
There’s nothing wrong with any of that. And there’s nothing wrong with asking God for strength.
But that’s not just what God does. It’s who he is. He is our strength. The strength he gives is meant to bring us closer to him, not enable us to live apart from him.
When Moses asked God, “What’s your name?” God replied, “I am.” He is God. There is no other. Yes, God loves. But he’s more than that. He is love. It’s a dangerous world. But he is a refuge. He is creator, father, provider, light, and life. Along with a whole lot of other things.
Much of daily renewing my mind is remembering who God is. With that in place, I remember who I am. I’m his child, I’m loved, I’m alive, and I’m strong.
Because he is my strength.
Waite for it... 