Almighty God deeply empowers us, tenaciously protects us, and always mercifully delivers us if we ask despite our dreadful sin. By believing in Him, the Lord becomes our strength because He loves us. Any other strength will fail us, but Christ’s strength is reliable and everlasting all the time and anywhere.
Vast amounts of people explain that our strength comes directly from our own being, whether mental or physical. Yet, these deceitful words lie to us. Through these false sayings, the devil attempts to distract us from the strength that only God can gift. However attractive the devil appeals to us, we have to trust in Jesus for the ultimate salvation that He so willingly provides.
“The war-horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.”
~Psalm 33:17 (ESV)
God specifically states in His Word that our strength can only come from Him since He obtains complete authority. The reality of “control” we harness is pointless considering God’s mighty overseeing of every occurring event. “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died…” (2 Corinthians 5:14(ESV)) Indeed, Adonai loves us dearly and blesses us with His powerful strength if we seek it from Him.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
~Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
Inaccurate and worthless, the strength of our own will is faulty, selfish, and unstable. It depletes us and leaves us empty.
“For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless!”
~Eccesiates 3:19
With no confidence of salvation from our own strength, surely life is meaningless. Aha!! Yet, we do have a Savior, who rescues, strengthens, and fulfills our every need and desire. Although we have such Truth, sometimes the devil wraps us in doubt, therefore we turn to our own might. How can we block out the devil? In any situation, we can diligently pray, refer to the pure Gospel, and steadily trust in the Lord. A logical, active strategy would be to replace those incorrect words with a Scripture verse or something like, “God is my strength and salvation. I trust HIM!”
“’Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’”
~ Matthew 26:41
Next time our circumstances seem hopeless, lets turn to the Messiah who restores our stability and renews our soul. In 2 Kings, it recounts a time when pagan King Hezekiah of Judah was about to fight in a risky battle. Afraid and humbled, Hezekiah prayed to God and desperately asked Him to save the Southern Kingdom of Israel. Even with all that nasty sin, the ruler was loved by Emmanuel just like we are loved by Him, and God delivered Judah from defeat. This beautiful event testaments to the eternal grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ!
No matter what, God is our omnipresent (meaning always there) strength. He faithfully never abandons us. In midst of struggles and doubting, we can have hope in the fact that He created us, planned all our days on this earth, and understands exactly what’s troubling us. Although it often seems that God is distant, especially during challenging times, His goodness will eventually prevail. Remember, Jesus already won the victory on the cross! Our distressing lives on Earth are nothing compared to the breathtaking eternity of Heaven that followers of Christ will experience. How lucky we are to have such a trustworthy strength to enable us to endure these short days under the sun!
“I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.”
~Ecclesiates 8:17 (NLT)
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
~Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
