A Strong Heart

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled, A Strong Heart, was written by Bill Crowder. In his book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, co-authored with Philip Yancey, Dr. Paul Brand observed, A hummingbird heart weighs a fraction of an ounce and beats 800 times a minute. A blue whale's heart weighs half a ton, beats only 10 times per minute, and can be heard two miles away. In contrast to either, the human heart seems dully functional, yet it does its job, beating 100,000 times a day, 65 to 70 times a minute, with no time off for rest to get most of us through 70 years or more. The amazing heart so thoroughly powers us through life that it has become a metaphor for our overall inner well-being. Yet both our literal and metaphorical hearts are prone to failure.

What can we do? The psalmist Asaph, a worship leader of Israel, acknowledged in Psalm 73 that true strength comes from somewhere, someone else. He wrote, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Asaph was right. The living God is our ultimate and eternal strength. As the maker of heaven and earth, he knows no such limitations to his perfect power. In our times of difficulty and challenge, may we discover what Asaph learned through his own struggles. God is the true strength of our hearts, and we can rest in that strength every day. Now let's take strength by listening to God's word.

This is today's scripture reading from the psalmist Asaph in Psalm 73 verses 21 through 28. When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you, yet I am always with you. You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish.

You destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the sovereign Lord my refuge.

I will tell of all your deeds. Now let's pray. Heavenly Father, we're so glad that when we are weak you are strong, that when we're overwhelmed you're enough, that when we're confused you have perfect clarity, and when we feel lost you show us the way. Thank you for always being there for us, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.