Tag:

strength

Renewed Strength

by TerryLema

I am weary as I write this, bone weary. Between the auto-immune diseases trying to gain control of my body, and the medications trying to gain control of the diseases, I am fatigued by the battle for supremacy. I am also weary of mind, trying to grasp what is going on in the world around me and around the world. The fight for control of our thinking, our work, our vote, our health, our freedom has left me wondering what might be around the next corner that is even worse.

Just because I am weary of body and mind does not mean, however, that my spirit is the same. In fact, as the body and mind flails, my spirit is stepping up. I am even more dependent upon God’s Spirit to uphold me. I am even more determined to allow Him to pour out His strength and power upon me. I am even more committed to not allowing the things of this world to be my focus, but instead to search the deep things of God in pursuit of Him.

The daily Bible verse that was delivered to my email recently says it all … “but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” [Isaiah 40:31]

That is such a familiar verse, we have said it, probably memorized it, and even sung it. if you have sung it, you know that at the end of that little chorus the author added a prayer, “Teach me, LORD, teach me LORD, to wait.” 

I do not know if the author added that prayer as just a nice ending to the song, or if he realized that for us to live Isaiah 40:31, we would have to be taught how to wait no matter what was going on in us and around us. We do not “wait” very well naturally (think long lines to check out, traffic jams). We must learn to wait.

I also chuckled a bit over that last line this morning … the author of the song did not just say “Teach me LORD” once, he repeated it … “Teach me, LORD, teach me LORD, to wait.”

I know in my life that prayer is not a one-and-done prayer, I’ve repeated it often. Teach me, LORD, to wait. I’m repeating it again this morning.  Teach me, LORD, to wait.

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According to …

by TerryLema

I went back today (after I wrote Sunday’s devotion) and reread Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3. One small phrase stood out. It is “according to …” found in Ephesians 3:16.

Paul prayed, “I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit ….” [3:15-16 HCSB]

As of April 2023, Elon Musk’s net worth is estimated at $180 billion. Of course, that is a big drop from what he was estimated to be worth in November 2021 ($320 billion). Elon Musk could write me a check out of his net worth, and it could be a pittance, maybe $1.50 out of $180 billion. But if he decides to write me a check “according to” his net worth that will be a far different story.

God doesn’t just give us out of the riches of His glory – a little bit here, a pittance there. God never skimps. He is never stingy. He is not tight-fisted.

He gives us according to the riches of His glory. The strength and power we receive in the inner man flows from His glorious riches through His Spirit and it is everything, all, to the fullest extent of what we need.

And there are some prayers which God will always respond to with a resounding “Yes!”. One of them is to ask Him to strengthen our inner man with power through His Holy Spirit. That is a “Yes!” prayer.

Of course, our part is to admit that we need God’s strength and power and to ask. If we do not acknowledge the need, God will not force His riches in glory upon us.

 

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Samson

by TerryLema

Growing up I remember going to a bunch of movies that were based on biblical themes. Some were directed by Cecile B. DeMille, such as The Ten Commandments, The Sign of the Cross, and Samson and Delilah. My favorite was Samson and Delilah staring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamar. I liked it because Victor Mature was so handsome and for his day–buffed.

When I looked up the movie recently, this was the description: “When strongman Samson rejects the love of the beautiful Philistine woman Delilah, she seeks vengeance that brings horrible consequences they both regret.”

When I read the original story, it is just a bit different. Samson was the one in love, Delilah was a prostitute who seems more interested in the money offered to her by the Philistines for the secret of Samson’s strength than she is in Samson. (Judges 16:4-31)

Which raises the question, if Samson was as buffed with muscles as he is always portrayed in movies, why would anyone question the source of his strength? It would be evident! Personally, I think Samson might have been a bit puny. After all, the source of his strength was not his muscles, it was his God.

As the angel told his mother when he announced to her that she would have a son, “the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” [Judges 13:5]

There were special conditions to be a Nazirite (Numbers 6). One of which was that he was not to cut his hair. All the conditions were outward signs of an inward separation to God. The strength was not in the outward signs of that separation, nor in the muscles of the body, the strength came from God through dedication and obedience to God.

Like Samson, our strength is not in the outward signs. It too, comes from God through our dedication and obedience.

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My Stronghold, My Strength

by TerryLema

Psalm 27 is titled “My Stronghold” in my Bible and its beginning is a roar.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold [strength] of my life—of whom should I be afraid?” [vs 1 HCSB]

It is attributed to David. I picture him standing on a mountain top shouting to the skies just Who God is. Then I see him looking down the mountain and asking himself – whom should I fear, whom should I be afraid of – and responding with a resounding “No one!”

Later on in the psalm we find that God is also our “shelter” and “cover,” and that he is our “helper” and will never leave nor abandon us. [vs 5, 9]

But it is that opening verse that captures our hearts with that one word translated “strength” in many translations and “stronghold” in others. The word in the original language means a place or means of safety and protection.

Everything around us is geared to generate fear. Politicians love to create fear, so we keep thinking we must depend upon them to overcome all the issues they keep highlighting. News broadcasters love to highlight fear, so we keep tuning in to see if there is any relief on the horizon. Big companies create fear. Stock market analysts create fear. Inflation creates fear. Recession creates fear.  The world is one big fear-monger.

But God is our “stronghold” and when we trust Him, He is that place of safety and protection.  What or whom should we fear?  Nothing, No one.

Thank you, LORD. Today I focus on the stronghold you have provided for those who love You. Thank you for being our light, salvation, strength, shelter, cover and helper. Amen

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Renews Their Strength

by TerryLema

Ah, the end of Isaiah 40 is so very glorious. Most of us know the words, maybe even memorized them. We even sing songs to proclaim their wonderful truths.

“Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.” [Isaiah 40:30-31 HCSB]

The NKJV renders part of the verse in a more familiar way, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength….” 

“Trust in” or “wait on” are not that different. To wait you usually have to trust and trusting often involves waiting.

The promise is that those who trust in the LORD as they wait upon Him, will find their strength renewed by the LORD Himself, so much so that they will soar and run and walk supernaturally.

To soar and run and walk supernaturally does not mean we become like the superheroes that seem so popular in our culture.  It means that when the world tells us to quiet and sit down, the LORD empowers us to keep walking. When the enemy attempts to ground us and make us irrelevant, the LORD provides the strength to rise above his tactics and soar on the winds of the Spirit of God. When circumstances try to crush us, the LORD Himself provides the power to run and not grow weary with life.

The chapter that began with “Comfort, comfort My People!” ends with supernatural power and stamina provided by God Himself. Now that’s true comfort! Amen!

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Weary & Weak

by TerryLema

I have been working hard to strengthen my physical body and increase my stamina. Years of pain and fatigue from immune diseases and lately from a bout with a virus have stolen my physical strength and endurance. I do not want to be confined to a lounge chair. I want to do my worship walks again and have enough energy to enjoy life beyond the confines of my house.

I work hard to walk a little farther, lift a bit more, move more frequently. But there are still times, like last Saturday when all I want to do is sit. Fatigue sets in and it seems my whole body just hurts.

I find also that as I deal with the pain and fatigue in my physical body, it saps my emotional and spiritual energy as well. Pain demands attention. It seeks to rule.

So I went looking for Scriptures about strength and ended up walking through Isaiah 40.  “’Comfort, comfort My people,’ says your God.”

 As I finished the chapter, I sensed the presence of God. I felt His everlasting arms embrace me. The comfort we need for all of life is resident within the LORD.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.” [Isaiah 40:28-29 HCSB]

It is Yahweh, the LORD, who gives strength to the weary and power to the powerless. The pain and fatigue in my body may not go away, but the LORD renews my spirit. He fills me with His strength to overcome the weariness and His power to overcome the weakness. Pain no longer rules.

Comfort, comfort My People! Amen

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We Will Not Fear

by TerryLema

This morning I retreated. I heard health news from a couple of friends that rocked me yesterday.

I read that churches in California have been barred from singing, although many still are singing their praises to God. (No telling what ramifications there will be for breaking that directive.)

The COVID-19 cases in our county are increasing rapidly and there is the threat that the Governor, local government, or health district will take action to move us back a stage.

Overnight, so much changed, so, I retreated. I retreated to Psalm 46.  It begins this way, “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” [CSB]

 When trouble abounds, the LORD God Almighty is our refuge and strength.  He is “always found” in times of trouble. As the NKJV says, He is an “ever-present help in the time of trouble.”

 How do we survive the troubles that accompany this life?  The only way I know to not just survive, but joyfully thrive amid the troubles is by retreating into the loving arms of Almighty God. When I reach out to Him, I find that He is always right there with me – ever present – and watching over me, ready to take my hand and guide me through.

I am not able to sufficiently answer to everyone’s satisfaction the “why” to that age-old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people.” But I am reassured that when bad things do happen, God is my refuge. God is my strength. God is my helper. God is always with me, in good times and in times of trouble.

Amen and Amen.

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The LORD’s Right Hand!

by TerryLema

I am spending a couple days living in and praying through Psalm 118. When I read the verses God chose for today, my heart soared from this proclamation in the Old Testament to its fulfillment in the New. “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: ‘The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!’” [ vs15-16]

The “Right Hand of the LORD” stands for Jehovah’s omnipotence, His power and strength. It is the place of authority, the place where intercession is made, and blessings and forgiveness are granted. Seated in that place is our LORD Christ Jesus.

Heb 12:2-3: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Everything in the world at this moment is designed to cause weariness and make us lose heart. The world’s message leads to hopelessness. It makes us dread each day, fear what we might have to face, and generates a desire to just quit. The world’s messages of fear are hard to ignore and difficult to escape.

Believers, however, hear and see a different message. We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus. We are also told why to do that – our Jesus is sitting in that place of authority and power. We are to remind ourselves of what He endured in order to be exalted to that place. He endured the cross with all its pain and shame for us. He took upon His Very Body, Soul and Spirit every sin, every perversion of all mankind and through that brought freedom and salvation for any who come to Him in repentance.

When we keep our eyes on Him, we keep our eyes on the Almighty Power and Glory of God. Then “Shouts of joy and victory [will] resound in the tents of [those made] righteous” through Him. That is where we should be looking right now. That is the message we should be heeding.

That is the message we should be shouting from our tents to this world of gloom and doom. Our God Reigns in Power and Authority. “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” Thank you, King Jesus. Amen & Amen.

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I CAN DO ALL THINGS

by TerryLema

A most amazing thing happened at the Prayer Summit. I wasn’t aware of it until I got home Wednesday evening. I felt good … not just “ok” … I felt good for three days in a row.

I had a bit of stiffness when I sat too long, and at times resembled one of the old Weeble dolls, but I had no aches, very little pain in my neck, and wonder of wonders, no fatigue. I walked up and down the stairs multiple times, I was up early and stayed up late for me. I didn’t have a need to nap. I’ve not had three days in a row like that since last July. It had to be a God-thing because it’s not been that way since I returned.

I must admit that last Sunday I was anxious about how I would hold up during those three days of the Summit and traveling back and forth. I anticipated and expressed my anxiety over how I would do, so much so that the church prayed for me last Sunday. And God heard.

And God answered. Except for a few digestive issues (which were my own fault because I ate things I shouldn’t have), I had no health issues.

How often I’ve read and quoted Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” [NKJV]

I’ve believed that and experienced the strength of God many times in the past. Those three days in the mountains at the Summit, however, were a new and greater experience of that verse. God overcame my “still-to-be-diagnosed” PMR and gave me strength so that I could approach His throne in grace and mercy in prayer.

What a wonderful LORD we serve, bless His Holy Name. Amen.

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