The words of Psalm 73:26 reflect a profound truth – that our physical bodies and emotional resolves are finite and prone to fail us. Yet in the same breath, the psalmist declares “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” This points to the eternal hope we have in God, which transcends our human frailties.
To understand this hope, we must first confront the reality the psalmist describes. Our bodies grow old and weak; we experience sickness and injury. Our hearts – our emotional centers – struggle with anxiety, depression, grief and despair. We cannot rely on our own strength – “my flesh and my heart may fail.” But the psalmist does not stop there. He goes on to testify that despite this weakness, God remains his strength and portion. God is the true source of hope that carries us through suffering and pain.
This hope is rooted in God’s eternal nature and His faithful love. Unlike us, He does not change or falter (Malachi 3:6). He keeps His promises, even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). His mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23). He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Our hope rests securely in who God is – faithful, loving and constant even when all else fails.
This eternal hope has many practical implications for our lives. When facing bodily suffering and weakness, we can trust that God remains sovereign over our circumstances. He will equip and strengthen us to endure (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). When discouraged or downcast, we can remember that our innermost being is renewed day by day as we set our minds on Him (2 Corinthians 4:16). Our emotions may rollercoaster, but He anchors our souls.
Most importantly, we have hope beyond this world. Though our bodies fail, we know that one day we will receive imperishable, glorified bodies that will never grow feeble again (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Though our hearts waver and fall, we know that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until Christ returns (Philippians 1:6). Our eternal destiny is secure with Him.
In summary, although our flesh and hearts may fail us now, we have indestructible hope in the unchanging, faithful God who remains our strength. He sees us through earthly frailty and suffering. He works continually to renew us inwardly as we look to Christ. And He promises that a day is coming when sin, sickness and even death itself will be vanquished forever. What glorious, unshakable hope is ours!
1. Our physical bodies are subject to weakness, injury and decay
As human beings, our bodies are mortal – meaning they are subject to aging, sickness, deterioration and eventual death. Throughout our earthly lives, we experience the many ways our “flesh,” or physical body, fails us.
Even for those who are young and healthy, the natural aging process slowly diminishes our bodily vigor over time. We lose bone mass, muscle tissue, organ function, eyesight, hearing, and more. Illnesses we once bounced back from quickly become harder to shake off. Injuries take longer to recover from. Physical tasks become more difficult. Simply put, our bodies just cannot do what they once could.
For many, more acute or chronic illnesses also strike – cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and so on. These can severely impact our strength, energy, mobility and bodily functions. Treatments often come with their own unpleasant or painful side effects as well. What we once took for granted – like strength, coordination or stamina – may fail us.
Accidents and injuries also make the fragility of our flesh painfully obvious. Broken bones, damaged organs, burns, paralysis – in an instant our bodies can be broken in life-altering ways. Even minor mishaps like sprains or torn ligaments disrupt our activity for weeks or months as they slowly mend.
Eventually, if the Lord tarries, our flesh will succumb to death. Our bodies will cease to function and return to the dust from which they came (Genesis 3:19). All of the breakdowns and losses we experience in our bodily frame foreshadow this ultimate failure.
Truly, as Scripture says, we are like grass that withers and fades, here today and gone tomorrow. Our outer selves are wasting away. In our flesh dwells no good thing. And try as we might to nurture our health, ultimately our bodies fail and fall.
2. Our hearts and minds are given to fluctuations in emotions and resolve
Not only are our physical bodies prone to fail us, but our hearts are as well. The “heart” in Scripture refers to the inner being – the seat of emotions, intellect, will and character. And like the flesh, our hearts are untrustworthy and fickle in many ways.
For one, our emotions fluctuate and fail us. While some are more even-keeled than others, no one maintains an even emotional state at all times. Circumstances around us shift, hormones fluctuate, physical conditions change – and so do our emotions.
We cycle through highs and lows: excitement turns to boredom, joy fades to grief, confidence gives way to anxiety. Emotions that were easy to handle one day overwhelm us the next. Strength to withstand heartbreak or trauma fails us. Depression dims all light and feeling. Even positive emotions like hope, love and peace prove infuriatingly transitory.
Our mental faculties also disappoint. Intellectual sharpness and clarity of thought comes and goes. The mind once adept at learning falters. Memories fade or disappear altogether. Confusion sets in where understanding used to dwell. For some, more serious mental afflictions like dementia may come and rob them entirely of their mental faculties in old age.
Our willpower proves weak as well. Resolves made in strength are abandoned in times of stress or temptation. Discipline diligently cultivated for a time flags and fails. Confidence to face challenges waxes and wanes. Good intentions give way to indifference and apathy. Lack of mental focus berates all efforts to pursue goals.
If we put our ultimate hope in our own heart’s resolve, we will find it wanting. Emotions, intellect, will – none of these remain steady and sure. However we may try to steel our inner being, we cannot completely conquer the wavering heart within.
3. Despite bodily and emotional weakness, God remains our eternal strength and hope
This daunting view of human frailty and failing is where the psalmist’s hope shines brightest. Right on the heels of “my flesh and my heart may fail,” he declares, “but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” He names the only source of enduring hope for those whose frames and feelings falter – God Himself.
God remains strong where we are weak. He does not erode with age or succumb to decay as our earthly bodies do. He does not waver between emotional extremes or grow confused in understanding. He is not subject to limitations on strength, intellect or willpower. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Not only is He strong where we fail, but He graciously chooses to share His strength with us. The apostle Paul, who suffered weakness and affliction in his own body, testified that God assured him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”(2 Corinthians 12:9). The Lord does not despise our frailties, but meets us in them to prove His strength.
God also renews and refreshes our faltering hearts. When emotions threaten to overwhelm us, He promises everlasting joy and peace (Isaiah 35:10). When intellect fails, He gives wisdom and revelation to lead us onward (Ephesians 1:17). And when willpower crashes, He works within us to desire and accomplish His good purpose (Philippians 2:13). Moment by moment, He sustains and strengthens our heart.
Most gloriously, He lavishes this strength upon us not grudgingly, but because of His great love for us. We can rely upon His help not only because He is strong, but because He is for us. He delights to perfect His strength in weak vessels (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace upholds us because we are His beloved children.
What wondrous news for all whos bodies and hearts will inevitably fail them! Our loving God knows our frame. He remembers that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14). He looks with kindness and pity upon our weakness. And He stands ready to impart His endless might to us at our point of need.
4. This eternal hope helps us endure bodily suffering and brokenness
What difference does this hope in God’s strength make as we encounter weakness and failure in our flesh? It enables us to endure suffering with courage, trusting that He will equip us sufficiently for each trial we face.
When sickness strikes or injury disables us, we need not despair. He who created our bodies has power to sustain and heal. While He often works through medicine and rehabilitation, our ultimate hope remains in Him – the Great Physician. He can restore health or grant grace and patience to bear ongoing weakness.
When pain plagues us, we can rest in His comfort and tender mercies. He promises to be near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Even in severe agony, He provides relief through His Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). He knows our sufferings intimately and has compassion.
As age steals away vigor and independence, our loving Father remains. He bears us up tenderly when we cannot care for ourselves as before (Isaiah 46:4). He continues to give purpose and dignity to feeble frames. His strength is made perfect even in our utter weakness and reliance upon Him.
Most joyously, we hope in full restoration and healing to come. One day God will redeem these failing bodies entirely, raising us up with new glorious forms fit for eternity with Him (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). The best is yet to come. So we do not lose heart, even as our outer selves waste away (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
5. This hope anchors and renews our fluctuating inner selves
Just as God patiently bears our bodily ills, so He faithfully ministers to our wandering hearts, giving strength, stability and renewal deep within.
When emotions threaten to buckle under us, we can cry out to Him who calms storms (Mark 4:39). He regulates disordered passions and bears us up tenderly through dark valleys. We need never face heartache alone again.
When mental faculties fail, He promises wisdom and revelation to guide every step. We can trust Him for understanding when our thinking grows muddled. He is pleased to instruct the humble who acknowledge their dependence on Him.
When resolve wavers, we can rely on His spirit to strengthen righteous desires and holy aims (Ephesians 3:16). Our changeable intentions cannot be trusted – but we can trust Him to renew our wills as we seek Him. He works from within to shape our purposes into His image.
In every flux and failure, His grace proves sufficient to stabilize and restore us. He anchors our souls so that, whatever outward tumults arise, we remain steadfast and sure (Hebrews 6:19). Our inner selves find rest and refuge in Him alone.
And again, our hope looks beyond today’s instability to the day when God will bring His perfect work in us to completion. He who began this renewing labor promises to carry it through to the end (Philippians 1:6). The solid rock we stand upon is Christ and His faithfulness.
6. Ultimately, we hope in resurrection and eternal life with Him
As anchor and foundation as God’s strength proves in this life’s trials, an even greater hope lies ahead. Our frail flesh and fickle hearts are not meant for this fallen age alone. God intends to raise us up whole and incorruptible to dwell with Him forever.
Though sickness may take our earthly lives for a time, Jesus promises that all who believe in Him will live again, body and soul reunited for eternity (John 11:25-26). His resurrection power will one day flood these failing frames with immortal life.
All that plagued us here – disease, deterioration, disability, dementia – will be stripped away in that coming day. No more sorrow, pain, weariness or weeping (Revelation 21:4). Our minds and emotions will be free from all distortion and anguish. Sin and its wretched effects will trouble us no more.
At last, we will inhabit glorified bodies and hearts perfectly fitted for joyful life with our Savior. Never again will flesh or spirit fail or fall. His strength shall be our unending portion. And His likeness will be stamped upon all that we are, unmarred forever.
Oh, the hope that awaits us! Here we walk by faith, not sight. But a day is fast approaching when faith shall become sight. We will see face to face the One who is now unseen – our Savior, Healer, Friend and King. His hand shall wipe every tear from our eyes. No more will “flesh and heart fail.” His strength, His glory and His beauty will be our endless delight.
Maranatha! “Come, Lord Jesus.”