How To Get Strong in Weakness | Psalm 73:26 | God is the strength of my heart | my portion forever

[0:00] Now, I've got to tell you, as a boy I used to pray a prayer like this. Lord, make me as! strong as Superman. Make me like Tarzan. Like Spiderman. I wanted to be strong. And now you! can see that God answered that prayer. Here's my message to today, I'd like to answer this question, how to get strong. Here's how. When you feel weak, when you feel like you're at the end of your strength, when you feel like life is a bit of a struggle, maybe more than a bit, you can find God's strength, God's strength.

[0:51] And we're going to go to Psalm 73. And it leads off in Psalm 73, a Psalm of Asaph, truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone. My steps had well nigh slipped, for I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. But we're going to go to this verse here, verse 26, where this man cries out, my flesh and my heart faileth. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Asaph here is the worship leader in Israel. And he tells of his own weakness. And he tells of God's faithfulness. Ultimately, he praises for the eternal gift, God himself.

[1:48] Now, there's times we're tested in life. I've got to tell you this morning, I woke up and the alarm was going off, the septic tank was playing up. And I thought, oh no, something else. There's time pressures, there's budget pressures, there's health pressures. Of course, pastors never have any problems. They never have any burdens, any bills. No stress, of course.

[2:13] And thankfully, I fixed the septic tank for now. I need to replace it. It's gone, almost gone. And we don't have any mains water where we live too. And our drinking water is running out. I measured the tank and it's only got so much left in the tank. That's our drinking water. And every day, it's tasting a bit more brackish. I think this is another problem. It makes me empathise with people in countries where seriously, they don't have drinking water. Amen. People that don't have drinking water, even food to eat, daily sustenance, let alone a sanitation system. And so we've got it really easy compared, don't we? We've got all these persistent, I've got another plumbing problem.

[2:53] I've got to talk to a certain person in the church who's a plumber, because we've got this plumbing problem. There's another persistent problem going on. And there's major project delays.

[3:05] I wonder how am I going to manage various pressures going on right now? Worries, worries about my wife's health. She's really not well, not getting any sleep hardly, and affects me too, believe me.

[3:21] Pray for Julie. She's not very well just now. But the point I'm making is we're all getting tested. Day by day, there's tests, isn't there? Maybe you're not tested. But there's times in life when we're tested. And it can feel sometimes like we fail. We get to a breaking point. We can empathise with the words of this verse here. Our body aches. Our faith feels weak. We've run out of strength.

[3:50] We face our limitations like Asaph. And there's those raw vulnerable moments of life. And Asaph found when everything else fails, God is our rock. Our eternal treasure. So that's what we're going to unpack.

[4:08] Really, we're just looking at this one verse. But there's much here to dwell on. Asaph cries out from his depths, of his troubles, from a place of struggle. And yet he tells us there is hope.

[4:23] In Psalm 73, he wrestles with this age-old question of, why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? He tells us of his envy, his doubts, his questions, his struggle. Yet he declares these words, my flesh and my heart faileth. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

[4:47] He shows us how to get strong. Truly strong. How to move from despair to hope, from weakness to strength, from earthly loss to eternal gain. And he tells us some things here. He tells us of, firstly, he tells us of my failure, my flesh and my heart faileth. He confesses his human limitations.

[5:10] His flesh. It's our physical body. It's our mortal body. It gets tired, doesn't it? It sickens. It ages. It fails. And we can identify with Asaph, can't we? Wow, that sounds like me.

[5:27] Our body is prone to exhaustion, illness, decay. And he tells further of, the heart. The heart is the core of our being. Our emotions, our mind, our will, our spirit. It's who we are. Our heart, our thoughts, our spiritual life. Asaph says, hey, even our hearts can feel weak. The verb faileth, it means to be consumed, to run dry, to come to an end. Like a lamp flickering out, it's a sense of it.

[6:00] Like a well running dry. Like my rainwater tank running out. Parched and empty. Our heart can fail. And in this crisis, Asaph cries out in this crisis of his faith. He's tormented. He sees the prosperity of the wicked. Why have they got that? And I've got what I've got. The wicked. They seem to live carefree lives, some of them untouched by trouble. While the righteous face hardship. Why is that?

[6:29] Asaph is hurting. He's doubting, questioning. Why? He's struggling to make sense of this world that sometimes can feel so unfair. And he feels burdened down. We can all face moments like this, can't we?

[6:43] Can you identify with Asaph? Put two hands up, yeah. When our flesh fails, when sickness strikes, energy fades. We know what it's like for our hearts to fail when grief overwhelms. Times of loss.

[6:57] When anxiety grips us. Oh, it hurts. And we doubt God's goodness sometimes. Perhaps you're there now. I'm not making light of it, honestly. It's real. Struggles going on. Maybe you're battling a chronic illness. I know this one of our numbers just had a toe removed in hospital because of diabetes.

[7:23] Wow. They're in the hospital bed right now. Stuff going on that, ouch, that hurts. Don't want to even think about that. When grief, anxiety grips us. We're wrestling. Maybe mourning a loss. There's questions.

[7:40] We just can't find the answers to. Why life seems so hard. And for Asaph, it feels like everything within him is giving out. And these words show us, like Asaph, we can be honest with God. Hey, I'm hurting. I'm hurting. I've got some hurting. My heart's failing. My flesh's failing. It's okay to admit our limitations. Hey, we're human. We've got needs, emotional, physical, spiritual, maybe all three.

[8:10] Life brings its moments of struggle, of exhaustion, of doubt, of grief, of crisis, pain. Okay, Asaph's struggle here. The prosperity of the wicked. This doesn't seem right. And it's good to be honest before God and open our heart, pour out our heart, our failures, our burdens. Let God know how you feel.

[8:32] Are you carrying burdens, physical, emotional, spiritual? Feel too heavy for you. It's okay to be like Asaph and say, hey, I'm failing. I'm failing. Tell God your struggles, your hurts. It could be the diagnosis that scares you, your grief, your doubts. What's weighing you down today? Bring it.

[8:54] To the Lord. Lord, I'm failing. Let his grace meet you there. God meets us in our weakness, doesn't he? And Asaph is honest. He tells her, my failure. I'm a failure.

[9:09] I'm a failure. He tells her, my failure. He tells her, my strength. And here's how to get strong. He talks about my strength, my strength. He talked about his failure, my failure. Now he says, my strength, my strength. But God is the strength of my heart. Here's how to get strong. The turning point in this verse is really this powerful phrase, two words, but God, but God. These two words, don't they shift everything? Everything. Joseph tells of this as well as he speaks about his brothers, sold him into slavery.

[9:57] And we hear these words from Joseph's lips in Genesis 50 verse 20. As he talks to his brothers, he's revealed himself as the one they hurt. They threw away into a pit. They sold him as a slave.

[10:15] But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day, God saw beyond what was meant to harm him. That would bring much blessing.

[10:38] But God, and tough things happen, but we can trust. This is something evil though. But God, but God, but God, he meant it unto good. But God is doing something good. Even in those times of trial of what's going on.

[11:00] In another place, the psalmist contrasts the fate of the wicked with the hope of the righteous. Beyond the grave, we see Psalm 49 verse 15. The fate of the wicked is the context, but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he shall receive me.

[11:22] When it boils down to it, but God, he's my redeemer. But God, he's my savior. He's going to save me from the power of the grave. And when trouble comes your way, you can say, but God will redeem. But God will redeem my soul.

[11:43] And Paul tells of the dread condemnation of sin, yet the wonder of God's grace, saving grace. Romans 5.8, but God commended this love towards us. In the sense, in the context there, it's talking about sin of judgment, of condemnation, but God commended his love toward us. And that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, but God, but God reaches the sinner and saves. And we can know that saving, his undeserved love, his redeeming grace. It's all because of, but God, that's what makes the difference.

[12:23] Two words. And Paul tells of the cross, and yet also of the resurrection here in Acts 13. He tells of the cross where wicked men took the savior and nailed him. And it says that they took him down from the tree and they laid him in a sepulcher. They put him in this tomb, but God raised him from the dead.

[12:48] The dread darkness of Calvary and the bright glory of the risen savior, but God. The wicked man crucified the blessed savior for you, for me, as he laid down his hands to be nailed, but God raised him back to life. And we have resurrection hope today. Why? Because, but God, God, but God, it's all because of that. And we read how we who were once dead in sin can be made alive in Christ as it reads Ephesians 2. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, had quickened us, made us alive together with Christ by grace, ye are saved. Saved. But God, but God in his mercy can save the unworthy. Can't he still? Doesn't he still?

[13:48] Isn't he still able? But God is still rich in mercy, isn't he? To whoever shall call upon his name. If you've yet to call, make that call. I've been talking to someone lately and they haven't got a grasp on salvation. Call on his name. Call on his name. Believe. By grace, ye are saved. It's about God, isn't it? It's not me. It's all about him and what he has done. Simply call. Make that call. If you've yet to make that call, make it now. In faith, call upon him. Asaph knows his own human frailty, but he declares, but God is the strength of my heart. Here's how to get strong, isn't it? Here's the strength we need. God's nearness, God's closeness, God's love, God's grace. In all your weakness and failure, failing, failing, failing, yet God, but God, you can know God and his grace, his strength. The strength of my heart, says Asaph. The word for strength, it literally means fortress or rock.

[15:05] It's the kind of strength we have. It's solid. It's strong. It's not going to fail you. It's the kind of strength we're talking about. And there's many verses we could talk to of these truths of, the Lord is my strength and my song and has become my salvation. Who's your strength? The Lord is my strength. And he is that sure foundation, our refuge. And he stands firm when everything else crumbles.

[15:37] Another one, Psalm 62, to he only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved. Confess these words. He only is my rock and my salvation. Here's what makes me strong. David says, Blessed be the Lord my strength, my goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield.

[16:05] And he in whom I trust, my strength is the Lord. You can know that. And Psalm 91 to David again, I will say of the Lord, Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God. In him will I trust. I believe it's David in that one.

[16:36] This isn't about God giving us some temporary help. He is our strength. He himself is my refuge. He himself is my fortress. My God, my God. He himself. And it's a recurring theme. Psalm 46, 1.

[16:59] God is our refuge and strength, the very present help in trouble. Interesting when you look through the concordance through some cross-referencing, how many times, how many times is God our refuge, our rock, our defense, our stronghold, our high tower, our shield, and manifold other like phrases. About 40 times. 40 times over and over again.

[17:39] These kinds of descriptions of God. He is our source in our very inner being. In trouble. He's very present. So, well, bring it on, Lord. Bring me some trouble.

[17:58] So you'll be my very present help. Not meaning to be flippant about that. But it's true, isn't it? If you're in trouble, God's there right there with you, right in it, in the fire. And in Psalm 73, Asaph's perspective changes. When he enters into God's sanctuary, verse 17, and we won't go there, but Psalm 73, he goes into the sanctuary, as it were. He goes into God's presence, verse 17. And there in God's presence, he sees how really the prosperity of the wicked is fleeting. That's it. See some billionaire who doesn't know God. They're gone. It's a vapor, isn't it? Their prosperity is very short-lived. And yet we see the enduring faithfulness of our God God. It's forever. And what a contrast to see the temporary success of the wicked versus the eternal security found in Christ, our Lord. And this theme of God is our rock. It's throughout scripture. Again, David cries Psalm 18 to the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. It's not just that God provides strength. He is the strength. He is the strength, the bedrock of our soul. And we feel weak, we faint, like Isaiah 40 talks about, he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might. He increases strength. I'm failing my heart, my flesh.

[19:36] I've got no strength. He increases strength. I've got no might. I'll give you my strength, he says to you. And when our courage falters, when doubts come, overwhelm us. God himself is the rock, isn't he? Isn't he? He steadies us from the end of the earth. Will I cry unto thee? When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I? And in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul learns my grace is sufficient for thee. For my strength is made perfect in weakness. I'm weak. Yeah, I'm, he's saying to you, you're just the one I'm looking for. If you're feeling weak, he says my grace, my strength is for you. It's made perfect in you. Whose strength? His strength. His strength.

[20:27] And he is the strength of my heart. Notice it's deeply personal too, my heart. It's personal. God's personal. He cares about every individual soul, everyone as an individual here just now. It's deeply personal. And so, Aesop, he talks about the heart again. He started off by saying, my heart's failing. Now he's saying that God is the strength of my heart. God is the strength of my heart. He stabilizes me, the very core of me. When all around is mayhem and doubts and struggle and pressure.

[21:05] He comes to our heart, our emotions, our will, our thoughts. When life feels like a storm, he's right there in the storm. And God is our refuge, our shelter, isn't he? You can know that brother, sister today. He is our refuge. He protects us. And he doesn't just give us strength to keep us going.

[21:26] He becomes our strength, our rock, our place of rest. God is sufficient. It's a very important truth. Christ is sufficient as we sing. My grace, he says, is sufficient. It tells us elsewhere, our sufficiency is of God. He's all that I need. All that I need is Christ. A human weakness that needs divine strength here we see as in Paul's time, as he's praying, praying, praying. God says, no, I'm not going to take that away, but I'm going to give you this. Grace, grace. And that is sufficient. My grace.

[22:06] So how about you? Where do you turn? When your strength fails, you feel like, Asaph, my flesh, my heart, faileth. The world can give us only temporary comforts. But Asaph points us to God, the unchanging rock. Are you leaning on your own abilities, your own bank account, your own willpower?

[22:29] Are you trusting God? Are you trusting God to be your fortress? What does this look like practically? You could think how you could set aside time for his presence, for fellowship, time for prayer, to worship, to meditate on his word. And when you feel weak, you can cry out like David.

[22:55] Again, Psalm 61 too. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock which is higher than I. And let God be your strength today. When everything else fails, God is our rock. He doesn't change.

[23:14] He'll be our rock whether we're feeling like he's our rock or not. He'll be our rock whether we're feeling like praying or not. He's our rock. He's our rock whether we're feeling spiritual or not spiritual.

[23:26] He's our rock. When everything else fails, God is our rock, our fortress, our refuge. God doesn't just provide temporary help. He becomes our strength. He becomes our strength. When my heart is overwhelmed, ever more so sustaining us through life's storms. So notice Asaph tells of my failure, my heart, my flesh, my heart, fail it.

[23:52] We see my strength. God is the strength of my heart. And thirdly, we see, and God is my portion forever. The psalmist cries out, God is my portion forever. There's many times again, it has this theme of God as our portion. As Psalm 119 tells us, thou art my portion, O Lord. I have said that I'll keep thy words.

[24:26] Thou art my portion. That's a good prayer to pray, isn't it? Thou art my portion, O Lord. David cried out, God is my portion in Psalm 142. I cried unto thee, O Lord, I said, thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Jeremiah, assuming he's the author of Lamentations, cried out, God is my portion. In Lamentations 3, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

[25:08] The Lord is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore will I hope in him. It reads on, The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. The Lord is my portion, isn't he? Do you know that? What does it mean? The word for portion, it tells of an inheritance. Like the land allotted to Joshua's tribes in the promised land, Joshua 15, 13, for the Levites, they received no land. God himself was their inheritance, Numbers 18, 20. There's this sense where this is something that is an inheritance.

[25:58] It's something that God grants to us. And Asaph is saying here that God is his ultimate treasure. It's not wealth, status, even health, the fleeting prosperity that the wicked might have forever.

[26:17] Forever, says Asaph. God's presence is forever. Earthly things, even our bodies. And I know some of you are gym junkies. Even better looking than me.

[26:35] But this body is going to fail, isn't it? It will fail. It's kind of a hopeless endeavour really, going to the gym. But no, honestly, there's a sense where, maybe some of you are better built than me.

[26:48] But there's a sense where our body is going to crumble into dust, dust, under dust, isn't it? Our bodies are going to give way. Our achievements, our possessions, hey, they're going to rust away, or someone else is going to take them. They're going to fade away. The wicked's prosperity, it's going to be over.

[27:09] It's going to be over. They're not going to be prosperous in the grave. Far from it. Their prosperity is temporary. If they don't know the Saviour, there's no true value. They've got no portion. They're missing out on the portion.

[27:25] That matters. Amen. And so for us though, God's gift is permanent, isn't it? It is secure. It is granted. It is assured by his promise. And God remains unchanging and eternal.

[27:43] In verses 23, 25, As have cried out, Nevertheless, I'm continually with thee. Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee?

[27:59] And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. He got his focus right. Asaph got his focus right. He started to think about eternity. And we can too. There is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

[28:17] His heart's desire was Christ. And Asaph realises, God lifts me up. God lifts me up. He's going to uphold me with his right hand. God's presence is better than anything this world can afford. Anything this world can offer me.

[28:35] And this radical shift here we see, Asaph, from chasing after temporary things, to find contentment in God alone. There's nobody else I want. I just want you, Lord. I want you, Lord. God is my portion.

[28:52] God is my portion. He's all that I need. And 1 Peter speaks to the same thought of this wonderful living hope that we have. Because of his abundant mercy, we're born again to an inheritance, it says. This portion, this inheritance, it's incorruptible. It's undefiled.

[29:14] It fadeth not away. And what's more, it's reserved in heaven for you. He's got an angelic host guarding it, if you like. It's held there in a secure place. It's more secure than Fort Knox, isn't it? It's held in heaven and it's guarded there. This portion, this inheritance, that fadeth not away.

[29:36] It's God himself is the ultimate satisfaction. God himself is our ultimate source of fulfilment. Beyond all earthly possessions, all earthly treasures, they're going to crumble into dust.

[29:49] All the achievements, the successes that we could reckon. Really, it's nothing, isn't it? It's nothing to do with that. I know I've got at home, I've got some boxes of different courses I've done.

[30:01] And I've got these, I've got piles of papers in these boxes and boxes of all the courses I've done and the certificates I've got and the qualifications I've got. It's all dust. It's dust. It's going to fade away.

[30:15] There's nothing to claim there. I've just got to get the gumption enough to get the wheelie bin out and throw it all away in the recycling bin because it's not going to last. But this is forever, isn't it?

[30:31] This is forever. This portion is forever. Earthly portions will fail. But God remains ever constant, ever faithful, all sufficient. And God is enough now and forever. He's our ultimate treasure.

[30:48] Earthly portions will pass away. But God remains constant, all sufficient, ever faithful. And there's a truth here for you, believer, this very blessed truth of, it's called contentment.

[31:08] He's enough for you. It's contentment. Some, they've got this obsession of, they want more, more, more, more. But Christ is sufficient. He's all sufficient for you. Earthly portions will pass away. But you can know contentment on the inside of you, deep down. And the believer can find a completeness in God, regardless of circumstances. Like Paul testified, I have learned in whatsoever state I am, there with to be content. Hey, draw a circle around. I'm going to be content in this circle, whatever state I am. Hey, it's not maybe how I want to be. But I'm content. Because Jesus is enough for me.

[31:49] He's enough for me. And the strength there, the strength there. Notice that God is personal. Asaph says, my portion, mine. Didn't we sing? He is mine. I am his and he is mine. My portion is personal. It's that relationship with God, isn't it? That's what matters. God is not far, far away, distant. He's close.

[32:11] He's personal. He's for you. And you can know him if you've yet to. You can know him. Yes, know him. You can know him. Personally know him and experience him. God's presence, his provision, it endures eternally, doesn't it? And our communion with God, this is forever, forever, eternal. God himself is the treasure that outshines all else. You can imagine as a little child might be clutching this tattered toy. And I've seen some of the, some of the little ones with their little treasures. And there's a little boy in our church. He likes to collect coins and he's got these little treasures and he's holding them very close and dear to his heart. And you think of a little child that's got this old toy, this old ragged toy that they might have had for a lifetime. But then the parents offer them a priceless jewel. And the child's eyes light up and that old toy is forgotten because they can see this is precious. And when you think of the world's toys, the world's trinkets, the world's treasures, they pale into nothing in comparison with Christ as sufficient. God is my portion.

[33:29] Here's what I want, not the world's toys, wealth, fame, success, the eternal treasure, knowing Christ, knowing my Saviour, his strength. It's the ultimate, isn't it? That eternal portion. And it's a declaration of faith that God is sufficient. God is enough in all of life's trials. Contentment. Just find it in Christ.

[33:54] He's enough for me. In that state that I am, hey, maybe I don't like the state that I'm in, but he's with me. That's what matters. That's what counts. And we can know that forever relationship with God and he sustains us through life's trials. That contentment in him. What is your portion?

[34:13] Your portion. What is it that you value the most of your career, maybe? Relationships or health, possessions? Are you chasing things that really, they're going to fade away? It's dust. Are you seeking the eternal joy of your Saviour? If God is your portion, you can find contentment. Contentment, even in a time of loss, of hardship, because nothing can take him away from you. Nothing, not nothing, not nobody. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. We can trust God's sufficiency and praise him for it every day, can't we? Praise you, Lord, for another new day, another day, another day to walk with you, to rest in your promises and they're eternal, to know your peace, your truth, that God is my portion. And we can know contentment in trials like in Habakkuk 3, you know the story, though the fig tree doesn't blossom, there's nothing in the fridge, though the fruit of the olive vale, you know, the bean of whatever on the vine.

[35:25] Amen. Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, the God of my salvation. I'm going to be content. And the prophet rejoices there, Habakkuk 3, 17 through 18, despite material loss. We can trust God's provision and presence and we can recognize God is my portion. That's what matters. And we can shift our priorities from accumulating worldly goods, as much as that might be nice, and it would be nice to have some such things, but not focusing upon that, but rather seeking the closeness with him. Because he is my portion and that's forever. That's what really matters. And when we face our mortality, we can do that with confidence knowing he is my portion. And that's forever. We can know God himself is our ultimate portion, our ultimate inheritance, secured in eternity. Revelation 21, the streets of gold, the wonder of the glory of the lamb of God, of the wonder of his praises in heavenly places. And we can think, that's my portion. That's my portion. That's my portion. We can know God's presence will sustain us in the now and forever. Like Asaph, we can bring our doubts and fears and failures. He was honest, my failure. Then he saw my strength. Then he saw my portion. Psalm 62 tells us, trust him, trust in him at all times, all times, even in the bad times, even in the times of failing, even in your weakness, trust him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart, pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Brother, sister, know that he's for you. And trust in him at all times, at all times, you people. Rely upon God's strength. Make God your rock.

[37:18] When life feels like a storm, run to him and find your shelter there. Through prayer, worship the word, God is a refuge for you. And God says, trust in the Lord forever. For in the Lord, Jehovah is everlasting strength. Brother, sister, know he is your portion. That's enough. Treasure God above all. Let go of chasing the temporary, the distractions, the dust, and find your deepest satisfaction in Christ, in him, your eternal portion. Make God your treasure. He is really the real wealth, isn't it? The real strength.

[38:01] How to get strong. God is my portion. God is my portion. That true contentment from finding, he's enough for me. I'm content in him. He's sufficient for me. That satisfaction in God alone, not in earthly possessions or achievements, to trust in God. Asaph did with all of his strength, that God is his strength and his eternal reward. And through Christ, we can know God's strength, his sufficiency. We know of the death, the resurrection of our Lord. It secures our eternal portion, our eternal inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, fadeth not away. We can think of situations of life, the story of a man called Spafford, who wrote a hymn called, It Is Well With My Soul.

[38:54] Amen. He lost everything. In Chicago, his wealth, it was all gone in a puff of smoke. The fire took everything. And then he lost his daughters in a shipwreck. And Spafford was in this place of unimaginable grief. And yet in his pain, he panned these words, When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well with my soul.

[39:33] How could he say that? Because he knew God is my portion. God is my portion. He knew God was his strength, his provision, his portion, even when his flesh and his heart failed. That's the hope that Christ brings to the heart by faith. His grace is sufficient for you. We can know God's sufficiency, that hope that is forever, that forever life that we have in the present tense. By faith, when your flesh fails, God is your strength. When your heart fails, when doubts and fears and griefs overwhelm, God is your rock. When the world's treasure fades, God is your portion. And it's forever.

[40:16] So make this your prayer. Lord, be the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Live each day knowing God is enough. Today, tomorrow and into eternity. Bring your struggles unto him. Brother, sister, you can know that. This is real for you. This is your promise from God for you, that you can know him as your ultimate treasure. God's grace is sufficient to carry you through. And know this, that God holds you with everlasting arms. God doesn't hold you with... I know when I was at school, I was probably one of the the kids. They used to say, when you try to catch something, what they call butterfingers. When you try to catch the ball, oh, butterfingers. You just can't catch the ball. God's hand is not a hand that's going to drop you. God's arms are not arms that are going to drop you. It says that his arms are everlasting arms. And he is the eternal God. And it tells us, Deuteronomy 33, 27, the eternal God, eternal. The eternal God is thy, that's you, personal, thy refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms. You can trust God and his everlasting arms to hold you through the trials, through the fainting, through the weakness, through the lack of strength, through the failing of your heart, the failing of your flesh, that God is enough, that God is for you, that he is your strength.

[41:55] He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I urge you, bring your weaknesses to God. Be honest like Asaph. Lord, it's hard right now. There's some things going on that I don't really appreciate that. Hey, he tells you, my arms, my everlasting arms are underneath you still. And find your ultimate satisfaction in him. Rely on his strength. He is your eternal treasure. You can find your ultimate satisfaction in him. How then do we answer the question, how to get strong?

[42:28] Know that he is your strength. Know that he is your strength, your portion forever. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Lord, we praise you that you are the everlasting God and underneath are the everlasting arms. Lord, we thank you for every soul. Help us, Lord, to think of our life in the context of eternity, to think of eternal truths. And Lord, for each soul here gathered, those that are watching, whatever our context, Lord, that we'll have that assurance that in whatever state we are, that we can be content, knowing your promises and claiming them, trusting your word to us, that you are for us. Lord, we thank you. We can cry like Asaph, my flesh and my heart faileth.

[43:28] But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Lord, help us to claim these truths. Bless each heart, each home. We pray each one might have that heart's trust to say, Lord Jesus, you paid for my sin at the cross and I trust you to receive that forgiveness of my sin by virtue of your grace, by virtue of your work on my part, to pay for my sin in the entirety of it, and to give me that grace that saves me from my sin. Lord, we thank you for your saving grace that always will be for your grace to those who will call upon your name. Bless us, Lord. Help us to live in the virtue of that grace, in the recognition of that grace, to walk in that grace towards one another, to live out that grace, reaching others to communicate that grace that others too might find it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.