As thy days, so shall thy strength be

Deuteronomy 33:25

Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

My heart has been inditing a good matter. Since this verse has gripped my mind recently, I have known that I must write on it. There is no more comforting theme. There is no more encouraging source of strength than this! For it is a promise. It is meant to be a perpetual anchor upon which we are to cling. The Lord speaks these words through Moses, blessing all the tribes of Israel. Asher is the last to receive his blessing. And after his blessing is stated, this universal blessing is immediately conveyed upon Israel. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” But let us not forget the first portion of this great verse. “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass.” The Lord knew that the children of Israel had much hard terrain to traverse. They had rough ground to trample. They would have turbulent journeys to take. But yet! Their shoes would be iron and brass. Put in another way, they would not be wearied by the way! They would be as strong as iron and as durable as brass. And what a comfort this is! For the way may be difficult. The terrain may be rocky. The journey may be hard. But the Lord has given us the equipment to traverse it! He has given us the strength to pass through the land before us. He has given us shoes of iron and brass. As our days, so shall our strength be!

What a wondrous word of truth we have here for our consolation and learning. For this promise is of full force to us. This I know because we have the same God that Israel had. We have the same promises, the same Word, and the same Guide. Nothing has changed! Only the people have changed. But we are the people of God just the same! We are His own! We are His peculiar treasure above all peoples of the earth. And what did the children of Israel have to aid them in their journey? Take a look at what they had! See verses 26-29. “The eternal God is thy refuge!” Yes, He is! When the journey is too great for us, we pause and find shelter in His pavilion that has been erected for us to rest in. “Underneath are the everlasting arms!” Oh yes! They are available for us to lean on. Dear friend, when the day is hard, and the sun is hot; when the trip is tiresome, and the day long; when the wilderness seems endless, and the wasteland is on all sides, there are the everlasting arms! Let us lean on the everlasting arms! He is there for your help. You have no need to complete this journey on your own. You won’t need to traverse the wilderness or cross the Jordan alone. His arms will uphold you all the way through. And then, “the fountain of Jacob” is there for your refreshment and enjoyment. With the Lord, it is always “a land of corn and wine.” His help is nearby. He is the source of our strength and nourishment. And the “heavens shall drop down dew!” Yes, every day, there will be blessings scattered like the hoarfrost on the ground. There will be manna with the dew to sustain you and carry you through the day. He is the “shield of thy help!” For, as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

What do you need today? What strength do you need? Draw it from Him. He has given you shoes of iron and brass. He is your refuge and your shield. He is your everlasting arms. Will you lean on Him today? Will you trust Him that you have strength for this day? Will you trust Him that the proportion of strength you have been given is equal to the amount of time He has allotted you this day? It is always so. He doesn’t give us a false balance or unequal weights. For as thy days, so shall thy strength always be.

“Oh Father, we thank you for this blessed promise! Help us to lean on it today. For it is an everlasting arm. Help us to lean on you! Help us to find our refuge in you, our strength in you, and our sustainment in your power. Thank you that you have given us shoes for the journey. You have given us equipment to complete the task. And as you did for Israel of old, we know you have given us strength for all our days. You have given us strength for this day! Praise your Holy Name! We rejoice! We thank you for this today. We rest now, dear Lord, in Thee. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”