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The Strength He Has, Is the Strength We Need

July 1, 2020·Jon Berglund

“Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.”
— Psalm 35:23

Our God is a warrior-king, and His decisions are His own. Rarely is He where we want Him to be, doing what we want Him to do. That is why He is called not only “God,” but “Lord.” So often we want a genie who fulfills our wishes or a jester who entertains us. But God is the Sovereign of our souls, and while He is unfailing in His love, He does not move at our beck and call.

And this is a hard lesson: If God can contend for you, He must also at times contend with you. We see it with Jacob in the Old Testament and with Peter in the New Testament. Jesus came to us, not as we expected or wanted, but precisely as we needed. God hears your cries, but He also sees the gap between what you ask for and what is truly good for you. When you cry out to God, call Him your God, but also call Him Lord. Trust Him to answer, but also, trust Him to answer in His own way.

When we see that the strength He has is the strength we need, we will say with the Psalmist: “My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long” (Psalm 35:28).

Pastor Jon Berglund