Text: Isaiah 33:2 (KJV) O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
There are seasons when we don’t need God to give us more, but instead we need God to be our arm.
Because when our arms are tired:
When we have reach our limited.
When we have got to the end of the rope.
Even when what we are carrying, feels heavier than what we can hold.
We find ourself praying, Lord, give me the strength.
Somebody say it out loud: Lord, give me the strength.
Isaiah 33 is written during one of Judah’s most terrifying moments.
The Assyrian empire who is brutal, ruthless, and undefeated has surrounded Jerusalem.
King Hezekiah has already paid tribute.
This was an attempt to buy time, to avoid bloodshed, and spare Jerusalem from a immediate destruction.
If we were to examine the text we would see that this tribute was extremely costly.
In fact Hezekiah paid:
300 talents of silver
30 talents of gold.
He even stripped gold from the doors of the Temple in (2nd Kings 18:15–16).
This shows how desperate the situation was.
The king sacrificed treasure to save lives.
But tribute didn’t bring any peace.
The enemy promised peace, but they have broken their promise. Have you ever had any broken promises. They promised you love but all you received is hate. They promised you the moon but all you received was the darkness that the moon could not reflect. They promised you silver and gold, but all you received was fake gold, fake silver and fake promises.
When we look at the text, we see that Judah is outnumbered, outmatched, and out of options.
So, this chapter is not about a victory shout, instead it’s about a desperation of prayer.
Look at Isaiah, Isaiah doesn’t ask for weapons.
He doesn’t ask for alliances.
Instead He asks for strength.
He doesn’t request an escape plan.
He doesn’t negotiate with man.
He doesn’t rely on political power.
He goes straight to God and says, Give me what I need to stand.
I must go deeper, watch this:
He doesn’t ask for soldiers.
He doesn’t ask for a strategy.
He doesn’t ask for substitutes.
He doesn’t ask God to change the enemy.
He doesn’t ask God to fix the system.
He doesn’t ask God to move the mountain.
I love it, because:
He doesn’t cry for backup.
He doesn’t beg for reinforcements.
He doesn’t wait on outside help.
He doesn’t ask for an explanation.
He doesn’t ask for the timeline for change.
He doesn’t ask why this is happening.
He ask for strength.
Because when God is your strength, you can survive what you can’t stop.
He asks for strength, because strength keeps you when help can’t reach you.
He asks God to strengthen him, because when God strengthens you, you can stand anywhere God places you. And PTMC I think somebody that going through this morning you ought to scream Lord, give me the strength.
He reaches up and says, if you are my strength, I’m already enough.
He simply whispers, Lord, give me the strength to make it through.
He goes on to say Lord, be our arm every morning.
In other words: we can’t even lift ourselves without you.
O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee.
This is not a rushed prayer.
This is not impatience.
This is faith that has been stretched.
Here it is: waiting doesn’t mean weakness.
Waiting means we must trust God more than our timing.
Tell your neighbor: I’m still waiting.
Be thou their arm every morning.
In Hebrew, the word arm (zeroa?) represents:
Strength
Power
Ability
The means to act
Isaiah is saying: Lord, I don’t just need help occasionally, but I need you daily.
Yesterday’s strength won’t work today.
Last season’s oil won’t carry this burden.
What carried you then cannot sustain you now.
This moment demands a fresh supply, because today’s weight requires today’s grace.
The strength that got you through then, won’t hold you up now.
In this season we need new oil, because the load has changed.
In this season we need new oil, because old oil measures can’t handle new demands.
In this season we need new oil, because God is doing a new work in a familiar place.
You can’t survive today on yesterday’s anointing. God is pouring present tense power, for a right now burden.
Every morning I need fresh strength.
Somebody shout: I need Him every morning.
He says. Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Notice the order:
Strength before deliverance
Endurance before escape
God doesn’t always remove trouble immediately, sometimes He strengthens you inside it.
Because if God delivers you without strengthening you, you will collapse the next time trouble comes.
This verse teaches us something profound:
God does not merely supply strength, but He becomes the strength.
He is not the crutch.
He is the arm.
He doesn’t just lift the weight, He lifts you above the weight.
That means when you’re tired:
You don’t lean on motivation.
You don’t lean on people.
You don’t lean on applause.
You don’t have to wait for somebody to tell you what a great job did.
You lean on the Lord. Come on say it with conviction: He is my strength.
When I can’t hold on. He is my strength.
When the burden are too heavy. He is my strength.
When I’m weary in well doing. He is my strength.
When I feel like giving up. He is my strength.
Here is the application for when strength shows up daily.
The text reminds us of three truths:
First we most know that strength is needed daily
God doesn’t give weekly strength for daily battles. That’s why Isaiah said every morning.
That means grace is renews.
Mercy is refreshes.
His strength is our daily bread.
Secondly, strength doesn’t mean you won’t get tired
Even waiting people get weary.
But weary doesn’t mean defeated.
You can be tired and still standing.
You may be worn down,but you are not knocked out.
Yes fatigue may visit you, but defeat does not live here.
Third, strength precedes salvation
God strengthens you before He rescues you, so when the rescue comes, you’re strong enough to carry the testimony.
There’s a story about a father and his young son who decided to go hiking together.
It was supposed to be a short walk, nothing extreme, and nothing dangerous.
But somewhere along the trail, the path became steeper, the rocks became sharper, and the distance became longer than they expected.
The sun was beating down.
The boy’s legs grew tired.
His steps got slower and slower until finally he stopped and said, daddy, I can’t go anymore.
The father looked at his son and saw the sweat on his face, the fear in his eyes, and the exhaustion in his body.
The father didn’t argue.
He didn’t rush him.
He didn’t tell him to be stronger.
He simply bent down, picked him up, and placed the boy on his shoulders.
Now the trail didn’t change.
The climb didn’t get easier.
The heat didn’t cool off.
But the weight changed.
They kept on walking.
Step after step.
Mile after mile.
Later, when they finally reached the end of the trail, someone asked the little boy, wasn’t that a hard hike?
Didn’t your father get tired?
The boy smiled and said, I don’t know, because I wasn’t walking.
Then they asked him, Didn’t your dad get tired carrying you all that way?
The boy paused and said, I don’t know that either. Because
I wasn’t doing the carrying.
That’s what happens when the Lord is our strength.
You’re still climbing.
Still moving.
Still pressing forward.
But you’re not carrying the weight alone.
Somebody needed to hear today:
You may feel tired, but God has been carrying you farther than you realize.
And the reason you’re still standing is because the Lord is your strength.
That’s what happens when the Lord is your strength.
You’re still moving.
Still climbing.
Still surviving.
But you’re not carrying it alone.
Lift your hands and declare:
Lord, be my arm every morning.
Be my strength when I’m weak.
Be my power when I’m tired.
Be my salvation in the time of trouble.
You are my strength. Strength like no other reaches to me.
Strength that died for me, and the same strength that got up for me.
