My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

1) What does the author mean when he says, “my flesh may fail”?
The Hebrew word used for flesh in this passage means flesh, food, meat, body, or self. It implies physical strength. The author is saying that even when his body fails, even when he doesn’t have the strength to carry on, even when he dies, God is his strength.

2) What does the author mean when he says, “my heart may fail”?
This word describes the entire make up of the inner person. It is also used to describe the place where the rational, thinking process occurs. It often refers to the core of our emotions, whether it refers to joy, discouragement, comfort, grief, sorrow, or gladness. So basically, he’s saying that even if his emotions and feelings fail him, God will not.

3) What does the writer mean by “strength of my heart”?
The Hebrew word for strength actually means a large rock or a boulder. In Old Testament times this would have symbolized a place where people ran for safety. I find that interesting because when I think of strength, I certainly don’t think of a place to run, but that’s clearly what the writer meant when he said that God was the strength of his heart.

4) What does the writer mean when he says that God is his portion forever?
He is saying that his eternal hope is in God and in nothing else. Neither money, nor things, nor relationships, nor jobs provide for his happiness, but God alone. Forever, into all eternity, God is the one constant that will not fail.

1) What does the author mean when he says, “my flesh may fail”?
Our flesh can fail in so many ways. When I hear the word flesh, especially in the Bible, my mind immediately goes to sin. This verse could mean that when I sin, God is still the strength of my heart. It can also mean that when I’m tired and weary, when I just don’t “feel” like I can go on, God will see me through. He is sufficient!

2) What does the author mean when he says, “my heart may fail”?
This part of the verse really homes in on our feelings. So often as women, we let our feelings dominate our beliefs, and our beliefs dominate our actions. When our “heart” is hurt or, in other words, our “feelings” are hurt, we really need to stop and remember truth. The truth never changes no matter what our feelings are doing, and the truth is that God is the strength of our hearts! He will never leave us or forsake us. He thinks we are wonderful because we are his little princesses.

3) What does the writer mean by “strength of my heart”?
Where do you run when you’ve sinned? Where do you run when you’re weak and weary? Where do you run when you just feel like your whole world just came crashing down? Run into the arms of Jesus!! Run to the Rock that is higher than you. Run to your Abba Father. His big strong arms will carry you though anything that He brings you to. You aren’t strong enough, but He is. In your weakness, He is strong.

4) What does the writer mean when he says that God is his portion forever?
We have a choice to worship anything or anyone we choose. It is really easy to worship God when things are going good, but when things start heading south, often times we run to friends or to the mall or to the bottle or to whatever idol we choose, but in the end, God is the only One who our hope can be in, so it seems fitting that, in the hard times of life, we choose to worship the One who holds us in the palm of His hand, the One who carries us through the storms of this life. He will be our portion forever. Why not start enjoying Him and worshipping Him now?

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Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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