Who Is My Strength?

Ephesians 3:16 & 17 - "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith..."

Not too long ago, I noticed something...

I have been looking at the people around me and saying, "Why can't they see how I am struggling? Why don't they want to help me? Why do they think I can always help them, but think I never need anything?" Then I realized, I should have been saying, "Instead of worrying about why others won't help me in my struggles, what am I doing to bring myself closer to the One who is always there to strengthen me?"

There are times we all struggle, and times we all feel weak. Some of those times will be easier to overcome; some will be harder. The key to whether or not we over come them at all is asking ourselves, "Where do I look for my strength?" How many times have we tried to rely on ourselves or only on our weak human friends for strength? Not that our friends can't help us and be there for us, but where should our absolute trust be? Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be strengthened by God's Spirit. Who is stronger than God? My boys have been learning the first part of Psalm 27:1 in their Sunday school class: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?..." Now look at the second part: "The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" God is our strength. If we trust in Him and His might, we have nothing to be afraid of, and nothing to worry about. Trials will still come our way, but we have the knowledge that we can overcome them, for He will always bring us through.

Remember the Footprints poem? "It was then that I carried you." How blessed we are to know that when we have hard times in our lives, we have Someone who was described in Psalm 89:13 as having a mighty arm and a strong hand. Someone who can carry us no matter how long it takes, or how hard the way is. Someone who will never give up on us, no matter how hard-headed we are or how slowly we are traveling.

Lately, I have realized I have been trying to rely on myself for strength. I have been looking at others and saying, "Why are you so weak? Why do I always have to try to be the strong one?" Now, I want to start saying, "Lord, you are mighty. I need you to strengthen me to get through my day-to-day life, so I can, in turn, serve others in Your name."

"The Lord is the strength of my life..."

I am starting this blog to record my journey in coming closer to the Lord; in working in relying on His Spirit to guide, strengthen, and comfort me; and in using my life to reach out to others who are in need of help, whether their need is great or small. Thank you for sharing it with me.

Dear God Almighty, Thank You for being so strong and loving. I know that there is nothing You can't do. Please strengthen me with Your Spirit, and allow me to use that strength to make it through my trials, so I can help others through theirs, and in doing so, serve You better. In Christ's precious and holy name, Amen.