“As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob, who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.” (Psa. 75:9-10)

I thought the use of the word “horns” in that chapter was interesting, so I looked up the word in the original Hebrew text. The word is “qeren”, denoting power and strength. This makes a lot of sense, because the power and strength of the wicked is based on the power structures of this world: the principalities, authority, and power built upon spiritual wickedness; or in other words, power built upon anything else other than the Lord. (Eph. 6:12)

But in contrast, the horns or power/strength of the righteous will be “lifted up”… why is that? Because the strength of the righteous IS GOD himself!

[All emphasis below is mine]

Psalm 46:1-3 “GOD IS our refuge and STRENGTH, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Nehemiah 8:10 “Do not grieve, for THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.”

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I AM YOUR GOD. I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Exodus 15:2 “THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH and my song; he has given me victory.”

Psalm 9:9-10 “THE LORD IS a refuge for the oppressed, A STRONGHOLD in times of trouble.”

These are just a few verses in the Bible highlighting that for us, the children of God a.k.a. “the righteous”, it is the Lord himself that is our strength; and He will be lifted up, magnified, and glorified!

So how does that apply to us and what does it mean that the Lord is our strength? Let’s turn to the Bible again…

2 Corinthians 12: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.”

Philippians 4: 12-13 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation . . . . I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

What these verses are saying, is that key to tapping into God’s strength, is complete dependence on and surrender to Him. The word “weakness” here doesn’t necessarily imply a physical or mental weakness, but rather a dependence on the Lord, recognizing that our own abilities, talents, and strengths are insufficient for carrying out God-sized tasks. If God’s grace is sufficient for the mighty Apostle Paul, then how much more should His grace be sufficient for us?

Let’s continue to ask God what true surrender looks like in our individual lives, and what it looks like to lean on HIS strength and understanding, and not our own. What does it look like at home? What does it look like when dealing with others? What does it look like when leading or within the context of our family? What does it look like when we’re at work? What does it look like when we’re serving at church or in ministry?

As Asaph reveals in this Psalm, when we surrender ourselves to the Lord, not only are we given His strength and power to do all things through Him, but ultimately, Christ is glorified! Amen!

[From October 24, 2018]