Strength In Christ

In the book of Job the word strength is used 22 times in the King James Version (KJV) translation. We see Job as a model of strength. Enduring all the trials he was put through and not once forsaking the God that allowed them. How can a man lose so much and still be faithful to the Lord? Because he knew where his hope was found and the glory that awaits him. I hope to ask him about that one day.

The following verse from the book of Psalms embodies how we are to react to fear.

Psalm 27:1  — A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

The Lord is the strength of my life. Period end of discussion. If you learn nothing else through this short article, that phrase at the beginning of this paragraph would be enough to sustain you through anything. But I hope you read on.

This brings to mind Romans 8:31 — What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

If God is for us, who can be against us? Next to what I mentioned above these have got to be some of the most reassuring words in the Bible.

We have therefore no reason to be scared, afraid, hesitant or anxious about anything. You will be those things at different points in your lives but having the God that created each and every one of us and this world be for us is a transcendent reason to not dwell in those feelings.

I , as many other young boys , grew up thinking that strength was only external. Something that was measured by how much one could lift or carry. The world’s strongest man competitions had me, and still do have me, in awe of the physical strength they possess . To this day I still have al by high regard for physical strength but seeing that that strength declines with age I realize that spiritual strength is everything. Samson likely comes to mind when we Christians think about strength. How he killed lions and later brought a temple roof down, but only after he prayed to God to restore his strength…

So I’ll end with this text

Philippians 4:6-7 — Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We have the fulfilled promise by the risen Christ to strengthen us in difficult times. Giving thanks to the God that orchestrated that and praying to Him for whatever troubles we may have ultimately exalts God and will help us through them. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit calms our finite bodies when perceived threats are present. Through prayer and supplication we garner the strength to press on.