His Strength in Our Weakness

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:1-2, ESV).

Between these two verses, David moved from describing God’s power as heavenly and majestic to invoking an image of the lowest, most helpless state possible. There couldn’t be a greater distance between these two points, from the highest reaches of the cosmos to the lowest cry of a baby. 

At first glance, the second verse seems like a totally separate sermon from the first, which extols God’s awesome majesty. Don’t be fooled because this is not a change of subject. The opening two verses of Psalm 8 are intricately related.

I believe that David had a revelation that brought forth high praise from his heart and mouth. His revelation was, “Lord, these are your battles, not mine. The fight belongs to you. I can have peace.” Nothing is as helpless as a baby, and yet its cries can call down the greatest power in existence. 

What is causing anxiety for you? What are you wrestling with? What worries are stressing you? They aren’t your battles. Lay them all down. Bring them to Jesus, casting your cares on him, for he cares for you. Tell him, “Lord, these are your enemies, and you triumph over them.”

Your current enemy may be a disease, financial pressures, marital stress, or strained relationships. You can’t conquer them in your own wisdom and strength. You have to trust the direction and power of the Holy Spirit to deal with them. Often, the right weapon for our warfare is simply a correct understanding of who God is. That’s what makes the simplest cry of a babe a powerful statement of faith that can reduce our enemies to nothing. 

God often demonstrates his strength through things the world sees as small, weak and insignificant. Through our weakness, God shows his power over obstacles that seem insurmountable. He is bigger than we could ever get our minds around, and his omnipotence is far beyond what our finite minds can imagine.  

^{This devotional has been adapted from Gary Wilkerson’s book, The Altar of Our Hearts: An Expository Devotional on the Psalms.}