FINDING OUR STRENGTH WITHIN by Robert Soto

FINDING OUR STRENGTH WITHIN by Robert Soto

January 20, 2010

Joshua 14:10-12 "...So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day... "

In the last two years I have covered a lot of history of one of my heroes, both historically and spiritually. That is Geronimo. He seemed to be invincible. It seemed like when an obstacle was placed before him, he was unstoppable. He was on the warpath for almost thirty years. He finally surrendered at age 59. He did not surrender because he was getting old, but because he felt it was the right thing to do to avoid the extreme punishment threatened for his people. In the end, they were still punished and Geronimo never saw his homeland again. But what amazes me about Geronimo was that he possessed an inner strength that defied any logic. Today most men are thinking of retiring at age 59, but Geronimo still had the strength to fight, hide and run from his enemy. He was still looking for that promised land where he and his people would live in peace and not be bothered by the United States government.

This past Sunday, a friend of mine preached in my place. I had driven all night from a pow wow and he had volunteered to speak so I could rest. As I sat and listened to the sermon, he spoke of Caleb. Caleb and Joshua were two of the twelve men who were asked by Moses to go into the land they were promised and spy out the land and the people. When they came back, they were carrying a large cluster of grapes between them. But there were giants in the land and obstacles that under normal conditions would have kept them from taking over the land. It was at that time that Caleb spoke out and said, "...So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then..." Here Caleb stood, as strong and alive at 85 as he was at 45 when Moses asked him to spy out the promised land. God the Creator has a way of blessing those who honor Him - of giving us strength that we do not understand, when our faith and lives are on a right path.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church