The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.
Deuteronomy 33:25
Your strength will equal your days. Note that it is “days” not “day.”
This means three things.
- First, God will give strength for each individual day in the year ahead.
- Second, God will give strength for every kind of day we may face. Some days will be filled with joy, light, laughter, and happiness; others with sadness, darkness, tears, and heartache. Whatever each day brings, there will be strength enough to meet it.
- Third, God will give strength to all our days until the end of our days. We will run out of days before we run out of God’s strength. The more days, the more strength God gives.
Will you have hard days? Fear not, your strength will equal your days.
Will you have days of sickness? Fear not, your strength will equal your days.
Will you have days of doubt and confusion? Fear not, your strength will equal your days.
Stop for a moment and think about your three greatest worries as you enter this year. What are they? What things occupy your mind and heart in these opening days of 2019? Deuteronomy 33:25 assures us that no matter what happens, God’s strength will always equal the days that are ahead. This is especially a promise for the passing of the years.
When you are young, you feel strong and able to take on the world. In your 20s, you think you’ve got the world by the tail on a downhill slide. In your 30s, you can work for hours and not feel tired. By your 40s, your body starts sending you unexpected messages. You aren’t as strong as you used to be, your energy doesn’t last as long, and your stamina seems to disappear more quickly. The parts of your body that seemed invincible are now beginning to show signs of wear and tear.
Then, once you pass 50, it’s the same for all of us. No matter how much you watch your diet, or how many hours you exercise, or if every day we take a handful of vitamin supplements. Sooner or later, we all wear out. That is precisely where this promise becomes so significant. We discover with the passing of time that God’s strength is more than enough for everything we face. So, even though our bodies grow older, our faith grows, our hope grows, our love grows, our zeal grows, our humility grows, and our patience grows. As God helps us, we find more and more of what we need. When the moment comes to leave this life, we find the strength we need to make that final journey. We go from God to God, from life to life, from strength to strength, from joy to joy, from love to love, from God by faith to God by sight, and from Christ within to Christ enthroned in heaven. So, our faces will be lit with joy as we approach the end.
Your strength will equal your days.
PATRICK LAI and his family have worked in SE Asia for other 37 years. His experience in doing business with Jesus has brought him to understand the meaning of work and worship in the marketplace. He started 14 businesses in four countries, six of which are still operating. Patrick and his wife, May, mentor and coach businesspeople working where there are few or no Christians. Check out Patrick’s latest book, Workship, now available in paperback and e-book.