Strength for Today

Proverbs 30:1 ESV

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.

The man declares, I am weary, O God;

I am weary, O God, and worn out.

The slow methodical beat of the drum. The grind of the work day. Day after day, struggling to find the will to get up and do it again. Not because the task itself is to hard or that the necessary strength and coordination is no longer present, but simply put the will has been ground down before the body. The hope of anything changing has been taken away, and the cry of the heart goes out to God, “I am weary, O God, and worn out.” The struggle to turn the news on repeats. The headlines are the same, “hell in a hand basket”, seem to be the only headlines. The names change and places but overall the news seems to be simply another regurgitation of yesterday a grind through the muck that is this life. Tune to this station get this news, tune to this station get opposing news. The cry of the sluggard beacons, “there is a lion in the road, there is a lion in the streets” (Proverbs 26:13), why should I leave my bed at all?

Pushing myself out of bed, riding my bike to work in a restored train depot, working for a “good man” but a “bad boss”. He owned the Engineering company and mistakes were greeted with “it makes you and my company look incompetent”.  Moving from this employer to a large employer meant mindlessly navigating the full parking lot with the rest of the hive, looking for a spot, walking past row upon row of identical gray cubes, looking for the imperceptible differences that distinguish your gray corner of the world from all others. Now the foreboding silence of a church that but a few days ago, for a few short hours, was filled with joyful song, friendly voices, and loving prayers. Know the ever-present silence driving home the absence of the Church in the church.

It seems no matter what the profession is, what the job might entail, what toil was meant for man, all come down to the steadfast endurance of an individual. As the elect look to better days. Full of joyful service, in perfect bodies, with perfect minds, and perfect hearts, how are we not overwhelmed by the sure and certain realities of now? As failure mounts upon failure and our hearts cry out with the proverb, “Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.” To what can we cling as our best efforts seem to fall short day after day? As once proud backs are unable to straighten, quick and lively minds fade from us leaving only the remorse of “I used to …”, and legs once able to run with Mercury and dance with Fred Astaire can barely hold us upright. How are we to endure the humbling hand of God? When the majority of life is lived in decaying bodies what message has God sown into the fabric of our lives that all men should learn?

We follow along with the text and find our answer, “Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!” (vs 4). Once again, we are given all that is needed when we are given Christ. We cling to him as “our only hope in life and death”. We draw near to him trusting in his grace. When this life’s storms are insurmountable hold tight to the one who “plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm”.

CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO