11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
The LORD’s gifts to His people are recounted and affirmed in the text for our meditation. The LORD rejoices in blessing His people. As Proverbs 3:33 records, “he blesseth the habitation of the just.” So we join the apostle Paul to say in thanksgiving, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
The two gifts from the LORD mentioned in our text are strength and peace. Oh, how we need them every day of our lives! He knows that we are weak and feeble, so He promises us strength. He who has strength, power, and dominion, will strengthen His people to meet their challenges and trials in this life. “The LORD is their strength” (Psalm 28:8). “The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people” (Psalm 68:35). “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” (Isaiah 40:29).
When we feel weak and weary, let us call on Him for strength that He has promised. Those who wait on the Lord will have their strength renewed. In Psalm 138:3, David testifies, “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Let us cast our weak frame into His mighty hand for His Word tells us, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
He will gird us with strength to fight against temptations of sin and overcome them. He will give us the power to resist the devil and overcome His schemes. He will empower and equip us to fulfil all our duties for His glory. In our troubles, the Lord will endue us with His strength. In Psalm 84:7, it is declared about His people that “They go from strength to strength”. So like Paul, each of us can also say, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The Lord also promises to bless us with peace. Because the LORD God the Almighty is our strength, we can be at peace even in the midst of great turmoil and battle. When we rest in His mighty arm, we shall have peace.