More strength for one more day
I want to say something more about this verse – it has too much meaning to only write about it once or twice. It would make life so much easier if we could really understand it and integrate it fully into our being.
13Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.
Looking back at your life, how many times have you said to yourself and to others that you cannot face what you have to deal with at that moment? How many times did you fall into bed absolutely exhausted, too tired to even lift an arm or a leg? Yes, look, we’ve all been there.
If you place a gift next to a child, he or she won’t hesitate to open it. If you give an electric drill to a carpenter using a regular one, he or she would immediately take the electric drill and use it, because it is so much easier, so much quicker. When you give a digger to a contractor who has to dig a long trench with a few workers, he would get those workers out of the trench in seconds and start digging with the digger.
That is why I cannot understand why we, who need so much strength to get through the day, do not open this enormous gift that God gives us and make it part of our daily lives. I do not understand why we do not plug into God to receive the power to get through the day.
Maybe it’s because we don’t know where we have to plug in.
And the answer is right in front of us: The power comes from God’s Word. We have to immerse ourselves in God’s Word. This is where we can learn more about God. This is where we acquire wisdom and answers to our questions. This is where we become different, think differently, talk differently and later start acting differently.
As I said before, when we communicate with God and when we are in his presence, we become different. God gives us the knowledge to take on the world. With God we can learn about strategy and how we can live the right way. Only with God we can put down part of our own ego and start seeing how others suffer. And when we start helping others in their suffering and shortcomings, we walk away with extra energy.
Can you see what is happening here? We become stronger when we use our strength to help others. Wow, it’s not logical, but this is exactly how it works. When you help others who are suffering, you feel better about yourself, you start smiling again, you start walking around with a skip in your step. Because of the extra strength you receive from God.
I want to challenge you to do this. Go to God, have community with Him, make his Word your words, and find a place or two where you can be of service to someone else. You will receive so much strength that you will feel able to face everything coming your way.
Reflection
What are you facing?
What can’t you face?
Do you spend enough time in God’s presence?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you that you are our source of power. Thank you for being so strong that every human being can draw power from You. Please help me to spend more time with You so that I can receive more power from You.