The strength of my heart
“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”Psalm 73:26
Reflection
This verse has a comforting honesty: it begins by admitting weakness. "My flesh and my heart FAILETH." The psalmist does not fake a strength he does not have, does not pose as invincible. He acknowledges that a point comes when the body tires, the emotions run out, the will ends — when, in plain words, "I can’t take it anymore". There is a liberation in being able to say that before God without shame. Biblical faith does not require us to always be strong; it merely points to where to seek strength when ours runs out.
And there comes the turning point, marked by the word "BUT": "but God is the strength of my heart". Notice the contrast. On one side, the weakness that fails; on the other, the strength that comes not from us, but from God. The psalmist discovered there is a strength beyond his own — one that begins exactly where ours ends. It is not that God leaves us strong so we would not need Him; it is that, when our strength runs out, His takes over. Acknowledged weakness is not the end of the line; it is the place where God’s strength has room to act.
Pay attention to the expression "strength of my HEART". It is not only strength for the body to perform tasks — it is strength for the HEART, that inner place where courage, hope and the will to continue reside. It is possible to have physical strength and still have a failing heart, no spirit to go on. And it is possible to have an exhausted body, but a heart sustained by God. The psalmist speaks of that inner strength, the deepest of all — the one that keeps a person standing within even when everything outside collapses.
The final phrase reveals the secret of that strength: "and my PORTION for ever". A portion was the inheritance, the share that belonged to each one. The psalmist is saying that God is his inheritance, his treasure, what he possesses and no one can take. And note the "for ever" — while all else fails and passes, God remains. Whoever has God as portion never ends up with nothing, even losing everything else. If today your flesh and your heart are failing — if you have reached the end of your strength — do not be ashamed of the weakness. Acknowledge it, and in the same breath declare the "but": "but God is the strength of my heart". Your strength may have run out. His has not.
Prayer
Lord, I reach the end of my strength — my flesh tires, my heart fails, and I am not ashamed to admit it before You. But I declare the psalmist’s "but": BUT You are the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. Where my strength ends, Yours begins. Sustain me within when everything outside collapses. Amen.
Put it into practice
When exhaustion strikes today, instead of faking strength, pray the psalm’s honest prayer: admit the weakness to God ("my strength has run out") and then declare the "but" ("but You are the strength of my heart"). Seek in Him the inner strength yours no longer has.
To reflect on
Have you been trying to fake a strength you no longer have — or acknowledging your weakness and seeking in God the strength of your heart?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).