I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me. ¹⁴The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. —Psalm 118:13-14
Have you had a time where it felt like all you could do is take one more step? A time when just putting one foot in front of the other was overwhelming?
I remember feeling like this for the first time many, many years ago. I walked to work and felt that it was an apt metaphor for my life in that instance, just putting one foot in front of the other. If you haven’t yet experienced this, let me assure you that someday you will. Hard times and suffering will come. You will be pushed to the point that you will think you can’t take anymore. You will know that your load is too heavy to bear. You will fall.
I’ve often heard words meant to encourage, and they do—“You will make it through this.” “You are strong enough.” “You will survive this.”
When our son’s prognosis was dire, and the hospital was preparing us to lose him, many doctors and nurses said to us, “You will get through this.” I remember asking, “But what if we can’t?” They didn’t have an answer. At some point in your life, you will be pushed beyond your limits. You will think that you are falling and you will be right.
God may have designed you to survive the storms of life, you may be tough, you may be a survivor—but your toughness, your internal fortitude, is a gift from God. And at some point in your life, you will trip, you will know that you are falling and no matter how deep you dig you may worry that you won’t be able to muster enough to get through.
But when that happens, when you are falling, you don’t have to be afraid, you don’t have to dig any deeper because you have everything you need in Jesus. At that moment, the Lord will be your strength. He will give you what you need to take the next step, to put one foot in front of the other. You may be pushed beyond your limits. But you will not be pushed beyond the Lord’s limits.
You see, no matter how strong God has built you, no matter how much resiliency God has given you, you will at some point not be able to muster any more strength. You will hit your limit. And when you do, when you fall, the Lord will be your strength. He will surprise you with quiet whispers that keep you going, one step at a time. He will give you the strength to take one more step.
Slowly, those tiny little steps will add up and, Lord willing, one step at a time, you will see that you have made it through, that the Lord kept you from falling and He has brought you out the other side. I hope that when that happens, you can look back and see that God brought you through something you thought would break you, and you will rejoice.
He has given you salvation eternally, and here on earth He will keep us and be our strength. So when you are falling, do not be afraid, do not be ashamed that you can’t dig deeper and muster more. Instead, rejoice that the Lord is your helper, and rest knowing He is your strength and your song.
For Reflection
What does knowing that the Lord is your strength and song mean to you?
How can you encourage someone today that is going through a time of suffering?
Pray and rejoice that the Lord is your salvation. Consider writing down your thoughts and reflections.