My God, rescue me from wicked men, from the power of cruel and evil men. Sovereign LORD, I put my hope in you; I have trusted in you since I was young. I have relied on you all my life; you have protected me since the day I was born. I will always praise you.

My life has been an example to many, because you have been my strong defender. All day long I praise you and proclaim your glory. Do not reject me now that I am old; do not abandon me now that I am feeble. My enemies want to kill me; they talk and plot against me. They say, "God has abandoned him; let's go after him and catch him; there is no one to rescue him."

Don't stay so far away, O God; my God, hurry to my aid! May those who attack me be defeated and destroyed. May those who try to hurt me be shamed and disgraced. I will always put my hope in you; I will praise you more and more. I will tell of your goodness; all day long I will speak of your salvation, though it is more than I can understand. I will praise your power, Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your goodness, yours alone.

Psalm 71:4-16

Christ has granted us the privilege of sharing His work here on earth. We must never forget, however, that we cannot perform our tasks through our abilities alone, but only as God works in and through us. While He directs us to put our hand on the oar of a boat, we must ever be aware of the ultimate source of our power. He is the strength of our life.

Our greatest weakness may be our failure to rely on God's strength.

Our Daily Bread - April 12, 2003