Where does Chazaq come from?

The annunciation for Chazaq is "KA - ZAC". I am often asked where the term "Chazaq" derives.  When I was playing football at NDSU, our chapel leader used this term with us.  We even had guys write the word on their wristbands or taped to parts of their body.  Chazaq is all about athletics, every game that is played has moments of struggles and chaos.  We really want people to understand that we need to be “Strong and Courageous, because God is in the Storms and Chaos of Life”.  Bruce Yaggie