Where can we find the strength each day to face the day before us? Where is the hope that will allow us to one more day step forth from our beds to face the struggles set before us and within us? How can we ever hope to win our own battles against the covetous, self exalting desires of our own hearts to defeat sin’s hold upon us? Wherein lies our hope of salvation? It is Jesus Christ, our only hope. Even David in the Old Testament knew this. If the Messiah never came, there was no hope for us who are no better than maggots as David had come to realize in Psalm 22. The old Testament frequently points us to a portrait of Christ who would be the only hope. Look at Psalm 20.
Psalm 206 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
Christ is that saving strength of God’s right hand as is demonstrated further in Hebrews 12.
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Our only hope in this battle against sin is the Saving Grace provided by Christ’s sacrificial offering for our sin on the Cross. He died and rose victorious against sin; that we might be clothed in His Righteousness. It is in His strength that we face each step that lies before us. Fully trusting and hoping in Him to perform that which I am incapable of. That kind of hope causes every fiber of my being to pour forth love, devotion, and praise to Him. He has won the victory for me. Look once more to a Psalm of David which enumerates this.
Psalm 18: I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Imagine this. Christ is that unmovable rock, the foundation of my salvation. A stone that cannot be moved, though the earth tremble or the tornado winds destroy all else–the foundation holds firm. (Luke 6:48) He is my fortress–a hiding place protected from Satan’s flaming arrows of doubt. He is my deliverer from my own foolish desires for counterfeit desires. He is my strength when the central core of my being is beaten, wounded and tired from the battles of this life as I run into His arms for solace and comfort while He cradles me in His arms and sings a song of Joy over me. (Zephaniah 3:17). I can trust Him, who sacrificed everything that I might be His Child so He could pour out His Love, His Joy, and His Glory upon me. He is my buckler. A buckler was a weapon used to protect against the enemy:
- Hand protection: The primary use of the buckler was to protect the sword hand.
- Deflector: The buckler’s lightness and curved center made it excellent for deflecting attacking blades.
- Blinder: The light blades used in conjunction with the buckler depended on rapid movements, which meant that a single second was an important advantage. The wielder of the buckler could use the buckler to shield his sword-hand’s position from view, keeping his opponent from guessing his next strike.
- "Metal fist": A buckler could be used to directly attack an opponent by punching with either its flat face or its rim.
- Binder: The buckler could be used to bind an opponent’s sword hand and weapon as well as their buckler against their body. The buckler was also very useful in grappling, where it allowed an opponent’s arms to be easily wrapped up and controlled.
Can you imagine God being the buckler while shouting to Satan–"Ha, that arrow can’t touch my child. Take that. Watch how I wrap this buckler around your hand, Satan and render you powerless." He did that on the cross and continues to each day stand as your shield against Satan’s blows. Do you really know and believe that? The horn of my Salvation is Jesus.
Luke 1 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us
The horn referred to is the one referred to by David in Psalm 92: 10 which was one that destroyed the enemy and protected one against the poisonous darts of the enemy. Christ is He who destroyed the power of Sin over us, for all who would believe and claim this His Gift of Mercy and Grace.
And He is my High Tower. Remember when the people of Babel decided in their own strength to build a "tower to God"; they couldn’t and neither can I. But Jesus Christ completed that High Tower so that I might commune with God. I can boldly go before His throne of Grace. Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
So my Hope to have the strength to take the next step is based upon Jesus Christ. I can trust that I will be provided the future Grace for each step I must take today with His power to keep my foot from sinking into the quicksand that lies ahead. My part in this? To keep my eyes focused on Him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlaZ2Jrem7I