As Thy Day

Articles

Joe Fitch
02/05/83 - Plain Talk

AS THY DAY

“...and as thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut. 33:25). Thus Asher is blessed with the other tribes of Israel. The words stir my spirit and remind me of God's care for me. Adverse challenge is implied in the text, but God controls the challenge. God is not our adversary and adverse conditions do not originate with him. He is rather the source of every good and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17) Furthermore, God limits the activity of our adversary, Satan, who seeks to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8). Do you remember Job? According to the devil, God would not allow any adversity to touch Job — "Hath thou not made a hedge about him" (Job 1:10). With the permission to tempt Job, the devil was still forbidden to touch the person of Job in the first temptation (1:12), and forbidden to kill him in the second temptation (2:6). God set the limits on temptation — and he still does. God does not allow a test of man above what he is able to stand (1 Cor. 10:13). Without such limits, none would stand. The devil would overwhelm or destroy us completely.

God also regulates the duration of the temptation. I can stand almost any pain if the time is not too long — like about three seconds! Even lesser challenges become a serious burden when the time is unlimited. Remember the old dripping water torture? The judgement on Jerusalem was a tribulation of absolute destruction "except those days should be shortened" (Mt. 24:22). But God was in control and shortened them "for the elect's sake." The devil's full measure of tribulation — "ten days" — is sure to be no longer than we can bear and be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). "Sufficient unto the day is the evil (adversity) thereof" (Mt. 6:34).

Finally, God supplies strength to meet the challenges of our day. "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being...strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Col. 1:10,11). I would not venture to explain how God does this, but there is much that is beyond our power when God is not in the picture. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6). God supplied what man had no strength to do. He does the same for man to maintain man in his service. Paul's trouble in Asia "pressed (him) out of measure" and "above strength" so that he "despaired even of life" (2 Cor. 1:8). How could he bear what was "above strength"? It was above his strength, but not God's. As with his thorn in the flesh, God said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). No day overcomes us in the strength of our omnipotent God.

"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 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." "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great" (Psm.18:2,35).

Joe Fitch, in Plain Talk, 20:4, 1983