Scripture Focus
“Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.” — Deuteronomy 33:25 (ESV)
Devotional Thought
As we arrive at Deuteronomy 33, Moses is also arriving at the end of his time with the children of Israel. And I have to admit, if I were Moses, I wonder if I might have been a little bitter about how everything was ending.
At the end of chapter 32, God tells Moses to climb Mount Nebo, where he will be able to look across the Jordan and see the Promised Land. But then God reminds him that although he will see the land, he will not enter it because of his disobedience at Meribah. After forty years of leading these people through the wilderness, Moses will bring them right to the edge—and someone else will lead them in.
Yet Moses’ attitude in chapter 33 is remarkable. We might expect one final sermon, perhaps even one final rebuke. Instead, Moses spends some of his last recorded words blessing the people he has spent forty years leading. Tribe by tribe, Moses speaks words of blessing over Israel.
And tucked into his blessing of Asher is a phrase that caught my attention: “As your days, so shall your strength be.”
In its immediate context, Moses is pronouncing blessing, security, and strength upon Asher. But there is a beautiful principle here that applies to us as well: God gives us the strength we need for the days He gives us.
That reminds me of the manna God provided during Israel’s years in the wilderness. God gave them enough manna for each day. They weren’t supposed to stockpile tomorrow’s provision today. When they tried to keep it overnight, it spoiled. The exception was the day before the Sabbath. On that day, God instructed them to gather enough for two days—and miraculously, that manna didn’t spoil.
God could have provided a year’s supply of manna at once. Instead, He taught Israel to wake up every morning depending upon Him. Daily bread required daily faith. And perhaps daily strength works much the same way.
We often want God to give us today the strength we think we’re going to need tomorrow. We look down the road and imagine what might happen next week, next year, or ten years from now. Then we ask ourselves, How could I ever handle that? What would I do if that happened? How would I make it through? The answer may simply be: You don’t have the strength for that day because you aren’t living that day yet.
Jesus said something remarkably similar: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” — Matthew 6:34 (ESV) Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. And sufficient for the day is the strength God will give.
Notice that Moses didn’t say, “As your next ten years, so shall your strength be.” He didn’t even say, “As tomorrow, so shall your strength be.” He said, “As your days, so shall your strength be.”
God has not promised to give us today all the grace we will need for something that might happen years from now. He gives grace when grace is needed. He gives strength when strength is needed. And when tomorrow becomes today, we can trust Him to meet us there too.
That means we don’t have to borrow tomorrow’s troubles and carry them today. Worry can make us experience the pain of circumstances that haven’t happened—and perhaps never will. Meanwhile, God is calling us to trust Him with the day actually in front of us.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not next year’s bread. Not even tomorrow’s bread. Today’s. There will be days when you need strength you don’t presently possess. There may be circumstances ahead that, from where you’re standing today, seem impossible to bear. But you don’t need tomorrow’s strength today.
You need today’s strength. And God will supply it. Don’t worry about whether you’ll have the strength to handle tomorrow. Walk with God today. When tomorrow becomes today, His grace will already be there.
Reflection Questions
- What future situation are you worrying about today that hasn’t actually happened yet?
- How does God’s provision of daily manna teach us to depend upon Him one day at a time?
- Have you ever experienced God giving you strength for a situation that you previously thought you could never handle?
- What would it look like for you to trust God with today’s needs and leave tomorrow’s needs in His hands?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You that You know every day that lies ahead of me. Forgive me for borrowing tomorrow’s troubles and trying to carry burdens You have not asked me to carry today. Teach me to trust You as Israel had to trust You for daily manna. Give me the grace and strength I need for this day, and help me believe that when tomorrow comes, You will be there with everything I need then too. Help me walk with You one day at a time, trusting that as my days, so shall my strength be. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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