I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

  - Psalm 18.1, 2

You are my strength, Lord, I will love you, under the shadow of your wings protect me....remit the wickedness of my sin. If I touch the fringe of your garment, I shall be saved from my sin.

   - The Prayers of Moucan, Irish, 8th-9th century

What does it mean to say that the Lord is our strength? Strength for what?

At one level, certainly, He is our strength for anything. He upholds the universe and all things in it by the Word of His power, so that would include everything that goes into our exerting physical strength for any purpose.

It is good to be reminded that we would have no strength at all – none, nada – were it not for the grace of King Jesus, in Whom the entire cosmos coheres. Here is plenty to occupy our prayers throughout the course of a day.

But in another sense it is important to know that the Lord is our moral and spiritual strength. He allows us to go beyond where we are or have ever been before in obeying His Law, growing in grace, carrying out His will, loving our neighbors, and all the other moral and spiritual duties incumbent upon us day by day. We are deceived if we think we can perform any of these good works on our own strength. We need the Lord, and the Lord is more than willing to help us go farther, so that we may improve in righteousness and grace toward others.

There is exceeding abundant strength in the Lord for us to engage, which is why verse 3 of Psalm 18 begins, “I call upon the LORD.” Prayer is the avenue along which the strength of God is sought and secured.

One more reason why prayer matters so much.

Let us not be so foolish as to suppose that we have any strength whatsoever for any physical, spiritual, moral, social, or cultural exertion. We can nothing apart from Jesus Christ. But all things are possible through Him.

Strength is available that you’ve never known before. Seek it in prayer, then live in the Spirit by faith.

Psalm 18.1-3 (St. Columba: “How Sweet and Awesome”)
I love You, Lord, my Strength, my Rock, my Savior and my Fort;
My God, my ever-shelt’ring Rock, You shield my trembling heart.

My Stronghold, Lord, my Saving Horn, I call to You with praise!
From those who Your salvation scorn You save us all our days!

Strengthen me today, Lord Jesus, against everything that threatens my pursuit of Your Kingdom and righteousness. Adaped from “Faeth Fiada”