Are you living in a weakened condition of who you were actually created to be? Does your life smack of weariness, lethargy and general malaise? As my grandmother used to say, “Has your get up and go got up and gone?”
A reasonable solution to your lack of energy might be that you need to change your eating habits or increase your exercise routine. Maybe you need to sleep longer or better. Maybe a vacation would you to recharge your emotional batteries.
Or maybe … just maybe … what you need to do is to reconnect with God the Father! Perhaps you need to energize your quiet time and find out what the Bible has to say about strength.
Moses was called to do a mighty big job on planet Earth; his assignment was exponentially larger than anything that you or I have ever been or will ever be called to do. If there were ever a man that needed strength, it was this man, Moses. He was called to lead a group of whining, complaining, impatient and disobedient people to the life that God had for them. (No, I am not describing the people at your church! We are talking about Moses here!)
Where did Moses find his strength? Did he find it in easy days and in a vacation villa on the Jordan River? Did he find it in eating five-course gourmet meals rather than the manna that everyone else ate?
“The Lord is my strength and my song!” Moses triumphantly declared in Exodus 15:2. Perhaps you could learn something from the life of Moses and began to sing with gusto, “The Lord is my strength!”
All of the strength that you need for your journey is found in partnering with God. Any strength that will sustain you comes from an ongoing, day-to-day friendship with the God of the universe. Strength is not at the gym, in a pill or at the beach. All strength that really matters is found in the presence of your Savior and Friend.
Isaiah needed strength, too, for his calling one Earth. Isaiah was called to confront compromise and to prepare a people for the coming of the Messiah. Where did Isaiah find his much-needed strength?
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Is. 30:15).
Worry will drain you, but trust will strengthen you! Fretting will weaken you, but quietness will fill you up! Sin will destroy you, but repentance will restore you!
And then there was Nehemiah. Nehemiah had been called to do a gargantuan job! He was called to build up the broken down and weakened walls of Jerusalem. The gates of Jerusalem were in sad disrepair and the task to rebuild them fell to the assignment of Nehemiah. He was burdened with this great task and with the frustrating challenge of working with government hierarchy and halfhearted workers.
Where did this chosen man, Nehemiah, discover strength for God’s purpose for his life?
“Be not grieved or depressed for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Neh. 8:10).
Nehemiah had discovered a deposit of strength that others had not yet tapped into. Nehemiah came upon a vein of strength so rich and rare that we are still talking about it thousands of years after its discovery! Nehemiah knew that when he decided to embrace the joy of the Lord that it was at that moment when he was at his strongest. So rather than whine, murmur or throw in that infamous towel, Nehemiah lifted his hands in worship and let the joy of the Lord flood through his body.
If you are suffering from spiritual anemia today, why not learn a lesson from Moses, from Isaiah and from Nehemiah? Run to where your true strength lies—in the presence of Him who is able to keep you from falling and who is able to sustain you in all seasons and challenges of life! {eoa}
Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women’s conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written five books, including No More Ordinary, Holy Estrogen!, The Rooms of a Woman’s Heart and Defiant Joy! Her most recent book, Refined: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Fire, was released last August. Her teaching DVD, The Rooms of a Woman’s Heart, won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming. You can also listen to Carol’s “A Jolt of Joy” program daily on the Charisma Podcast Network. Connect with Carol or inquire about her speaking to your group at justjoyministries.com.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.