ASCRIBE YE STRENGTH UNTO GOD

 

 

Psalm 68:35 - "...the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people. Blessed be God."

 

Have there been times in your walk with the Lord when you felt as though you could not put one foot in front of the other? You simply did not have the strength to do so?

Or perhaps you have struggled with a habit from your past and  met failure on every side to overcome or quit it?

Or maybe you have faced problems in relationships that have left you feeling so shaken and forlorn that you simply cannot see how you could ever have another healthy relationship again?

 

If you have had these feelings, you are not alone!

 

Life is so full of twists and turns. Things happen which are seemingly out of our control and leave us - at times - feeling very devastated. We need help, guidance, and strength outside of ourselves in order to cope.

 

Who can we turn to Who is bigger than us or our problems and predicament?

 

Oh! Thank God, that we can turn to the Lord Jesus Christ each and every time! He is able! Our God is able!

 

Isaiah 9:6 tells us that He is "Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace"! The government of our lives rests upon His shoulders!

 

He is God! He is God! He is God!

 

In Psalm 68:34, The Psalmist said - "Ascribe ye strength unto God..." 

 

In other words, acknowledge that He is the God of irresistible power and might. Recognize that He is the All-Powerful God. He is Omnipotent. He is well able to protect His children and to resist, defeat, or destroy any and all of their enemies.

 

Psalm 68:34 - The Psalmist goes on to say - "...His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds."

 

What is His "excellency"? This is His majesty, glory, and character. It is "over Israel." In other words, it is best displayed by His sovereign and protecting care over His own people. 

 

His "strength is in the clouds." This refers to the awesome power that is manifested in the storm - through the deafening thunder and the bright, flashing lightning.

 

God is omnipotent. His power is seen in the different aspects of nature, but it is also seen in His tender, protecting care for His people.

 

Matthew 6:13 tells us - "...For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

 

1 Chronicles 29:11-13 adds - "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name." 

 

There is nothing weak and feeble about our God.

He is able -

...to be whatever we need Him to be!

...to protect and defend us.

...to supply any need that we are ever faced with in this life.

 

In this message, we would like to stress the fact that because He is the God of all strength and power, He is able to strengthen and sustain us. God shares His mighty strength with His people. The Bible tells us so -

 

Psalm 29:11 says - "The LORD will give strength unto His people..."

 

Psalm 68:28 tells us - "Thy God hath commanded Thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which Thou hast wrought for us."

 

Psalm 68:35 says - "...the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people..."

 

1 Chronicles 29:12 adds - "...and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all."   

 

Whenever we are in need of strength, God will command a larger measure. It will be greater - much greater than the need that we face.

 

Philippians 4:13 - At all times, and in every place, no matter what the circumstances, we will be able to say - "I can do all things through Christ Which strengtheneth me."

 

What kind of circumstances are you facing today that require a strength beyond your own?

 

Perhaps you are having great difficulty in forgiving someone who has hurt you in the past. The wounds of rejection go very, very deep. All you can think about is the pain. You don't know if you can ever have another healthy and trusting relationship again.

 

You may be -

...experiencing extreme pain in your body due to a sickness or disease that has overcome you. You don't know how much more you can take.

 

...struggling with a wayward or rebellious child who pushes your patience to the absolute limit and beyond. You may feel as though you have no more to say or do. You have said it all and done all that you could do, but seemingly to no avail. You are at your wit's end.

 

...struggling financially to make end's meet. Your strength is already spent, and it is so hard to wake up in the morning and place one foot in front of the other. What can you do?

 

...facing conflicts in your marriage or in relationships with other people that nothing seems to ever resolve. You have prayed and prayed, but cannot reach an agreement.

 

...struggling with compulsive habits that are out of control. You cannot stop. You have tried and tried and tried, only to meet defeat each time.

 

The Scriptures give us the answer to our dilemmas. We are to look beyond ourselves. We must lift our vision higher than our need, problem, predicament, or trauma. Bring God into the picture.

 

In other words, "Ascribe ye strength unto God..."

 

In every circumstance that you are facing today, "Ascribe ye strength unto God..." See God as being bigger than the problem and well able to meet its challenges and bring forth the necessary changes and victories.

 

Then ask Him for His Mighty Strength to be displayed. Watch and see how He will take your circumstance and change it for His Glory, Honor, and Praise.

 

Many times what He will do is change you before He changes the circumstances. He will give you supernatural strength and power to walk through the situation that you are presently facing. He will show His mighty strength in and through you.

 

You will find that you can love and forgive others,

stand strong in the face of any opposition,

walk uprightly and godly in the midst of any temptation or enemy, 

do tasks that you never imagined that you were capable of doing,

or handle any matter wisely and find much good as a result.

 

Out of every test that we face, God will be sure to bring forth a testimony for His Glory, Honor, and Praise.

 

The "God of Israel" is indeed our God. He promises to give "strength and power unto His people." He will surely do it. And then we will all be able to say -

 

"Blessed be God."

 

Today as we "ascribe...strength unto God" - as we acknowledge that He is the God of all power and might and that He is our God - let us, in holy expectation, anticipate great and mighty things happening in the very difficult circumstances that we face.

Let's receive the strength that He promises to us to meet our every need.

And then let's be sure to testify how He saw us through and changed things all around for His glory and our good.

 

May we all go about this day with these fitting words on our lips - "Blessed Be God" - for our God alone is worthy of all Praise, Honor, and Glory for all that He is and all that He does.

He is the Fountain of all Good.

 

Amen & Amen!