I will strengthen you. Isaiah 40:29: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” [NIV]
2 Corinthians 12:9: “And He said to [Paul], ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness.’” [NKJV]
Aging. I have lots to say about aging … it’s the pits … it’s not for sissies … it’s not fun … well, you get my point. If there is anything that I find truly difficult in aging, it is the weakness that seems to increase. Hands find it more difficult to open jars. Eyes have more and more trouble reading the small print. Recall is not as sharp. Bones grow brittle. Muscles are not quite as strong as they used to be. It takes less and less exertion to become physically tired.
Oh, there are the rare individuals who are still doing gymnastics, lifting hundreds of pounds of weights, and running marathons well into their 80’s and even 90’s. But that is not the case for most of us.
While we tend toward weakening physically as we age, God has promised that even in our weakness we can be both physically and spiritually strong. He will strengthen us. If we wait upon the Lord, Isaiah said, God will give strength to those who are weary and power to those who are weak. Paul was reminded by the Lord that grace is sufficient and that God’s strength is made perfect or made complete in our weakness.
The reminder … I will strengthen you … has no age limits attached to it. The Scriptures contain many instances of God using people of all ages, from teenagers to the aged, because the power is not in His people, it is in Him. As Daniel said, “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” [Daniel 11:32 NKJV]
