"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."
Psalm 73:26
Did you ever buy an article of clothing that you really liked, and you wanted to keep it looking nice forever? Maybe you decided that you would take extra good care of it so that it could last. Even when you took the very best care of it possible—only dry cleaned it, kept it hung up and in a garment bag in between wears—eventually, no matter how you protected it, it still wore out. The Bible uses this picture of a garment wearing out several times.
“…all of them shall wax old like a garment…, (Psalm 102:26).
“…lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up,” (Isaiah 50:9).
“…the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner,” (Isaiah 51:6).
“They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment,” (Hebrews 1:11).
Everything in this earth will wear-out and decay.
In our verse for today, Asaph talks about his flesh and his heart wearing out. Try as you might to avoid this, someday your body will wear out too. In our youth, we tended toward trusting our health and strength. Being young isn’t the antidote for old age, because aging is inevitable. The strength of youth quickly fades as each person ages. Asaph did understand the cure for the ancient problem of flesh and heart failure. It is not from any internal source from within man, but from an external source, Almighty God.
“God is my strength.”
The ancient word used here in the original text is the Aramaic word that means, “rock, cliff, rock wall,” etc. This “rock” is a place of refuge where the child of God can run into and be safe.
“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower,” (Psalm 18:2).
The antidote for trusting in our own strength, which in reality is weakness, is to learn to trust in God’s strength, this place of safety, this rock He has for us. The Gospel songwriter, George Duffield, said it well.
Stand Up! Stand Up for Jesus!
By George Duffield
3. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor,
And, watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
“God is my portion.”
This word “portion” was well known and the meaning of it evident to the Hebrew Children. As Joshua led the Children of Israel into the Promised Land, how did each of the thousands of families know where they were going to live? This was settled among the leaders of Israel before they went into the land. Joshua and the men determined the exact parcel or portion of land for each of the tribes of Israel. Every tribe knew where their portion was to be. Asaph is stating a critical truth; even more important than owning a tract of land in Israel is that God is his portion.
“The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot,” (Psalm 16:5).
“The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him,” (Lamentations 3:24).
Asaph in his simple way of stating this truth makes it clear that the answer to getting old and having a worn-out body is to put your confidence in the living God, Jehovah. Because our bodies are aging and weakening we should not trust in our own strength, but trust in the LORD in every season of our lives.
Believer, are you young and healthy? Now is the time to begin relying on the LORD’s strength. And it’s time to make the LORD your portion. Let Him be the ruler all of your days.
Believer, are you aging and your strength beginning to wane? While we appreciate doctors, who can help us physically, eventually these bodies will break down, wear out, and die. Be sure the Lord is your portion and that your confidence is not in yourself. I have the idea that the wear and tear on our bodies is just one of the ways that God is preparing us for heaven. The older we get, the more our flesh and our heart fail us, the better heaven is looking to us.
I have learned that My God Is My Strength and My Portion!
1. Brown, Driver, and Briggs, Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
2. “Stand Up! Stand Up for Jesus!” Lyrics: George Duffield