Mensa Otabil - The Lord Is Your Portion (10/25/2025)
Psalm 73, verse 26. My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. When we come to the end of our strength, we try to do what we can do; we do our best in any endeavor, and when we come to the end of ourselves, we have to remember that God has not come to the end of Himself.
The story is told of a young boy who is sitting by his father. The boy is trying to move a very big stone; he’s heaving at the stone, trying so hard to move it, and grunting, but the stone is not moving. It’s far superior to him, and so his father is sitting by, watching him struggle with this stone. The father asks him, «Son, are you using all your strength?» He replies, «Yes, Dad, I’m using all my strength; I’m doing everything I can.» The father says, «No, you’re not using all your strength.» The boy insists, «I’m using all my strength.» The father responds, «You haven’t asked me to help you.»
Part of the boy’s strength is the father’s strength. It’s not just what you can do by yourself; it’s what God can help you do. We learn from this story that many times we try our best, and it’s good to be hardworking, diligent, and to put in effort. We do everything with so much of our effort and think, «I’ve done my best; this is going to work,» and then it doesn' t work. Have you thought about the fact that perhaps you haven’t asked God to help you? You haven’t asked Him to give you wisdom; you haven’t asked Him to open that door for you.
You’ve tried your best; you’ve made all the phone calls, but perhaps it’s time to say, «Lord, help me and open this door for me. Oh Lord, help me and let this person treat me well.» Because God is our help, He must not just be our help watching us; He must not just be our help around us. He must be the help that we trust.
Many times, we see ourselves surrounded by enemies, problems, hardships, and difficulties, and some of these enemies can be far bigger and more profound than we are. We look at the challenges we’re supposed to confront, and those challenges often seem far bigger than ourselves. It’s like a human being fighting a dinosaur; this thing is so huge that you can’t manage it by yourself. Yes, you can try to tackle it the best way you can, but at that moment when you realize this rock is bigger than you, or this dinosaur is far bigger than you, call on your strength. God is by your side; He is with you, and if you call on Him, He will help you.
So the psalmist says, «My flesh and my heart fail.» In other words, I have no courage; I have no strength; I have lost it; I’m tired. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. When your heart is failing, God is the strength of your heart. When your hands fail, He is the strength of your hands. When your feet fail, He is the strength of your feet. When your mind, your thoughts fail, He is the strength of your thoughts, and He will guide you.
But don’t just let Him watch you; call upon Him, ask Him for help, and the Lord will help you. Today, turn around and look at all the battles you’re fighting in life, all the things you’re trying to resolve. Ask yourself, have I truly brought God on the scene? I’m not just saying that you prayed casually: " God, help me, God, help me, God, help me.» But have you really presented that case before the Lord properly, asking for specific help in specific areas where you need His assistance? If you haven’t, take time; take a pause, go to the Lord. He is your strength, and He will help you.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, You are my strength. I need Your help to overcome all my battles. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.