Hi
We continue to unpack God’s donot promise in today’s Holy Nougat
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV
“I will strengthen you,” says our God. In a world where a hint of weakness is considered as permission to exploit, God’s offer to strengthen us may sound unbelievable.
But it is believable.
I’m proof and several of you are living proof. On Sunday the preacher spoke clearly from her experiences in the Valley of Shadows; and time and again in her message was the refrain from the theme; ‘Knocked down but not Knocked out’. Strength is sometimes the push to complete a task or to overcome. It’s not always about physical muscle.
Let’s think back to one of those times when strength was about courage to do or be; or needing the physical or mental capacity to effect change. If we overcame (without humiliation), it is because of God’s strength.
I agree, there are times when we fail, even after relying on God’s strength and not our own; and for those incidents, I have no explanation. Each situation is different, as are the ones involved. I have found that when my own strength fails (and that’s pretty often), when I call on God instead of others, things happen. But sometimes, we are unwilling to endure the process.
When life serves a debilitating blow, it is God’s strength that resuscitates is. Though we might not remember it that way. More critically, when we are led to be God’s hands and feet to another, we ought to remember that it’s not quite us doing for others; but rather God doing with/through us. So we should not require a response from them as we sometimes do.
In what ways are we needing strength today?
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
