Strength in God

Living in a fallen world oftentimes results in fatigue. Our bodies are finite and are often forced to operate in less than ideal conditions. On top of that, we can lose sight of our great God and experience fatigue in our motivation.  What can Christians do in response to this sad reality?

Believe! Our God has given us good promises and commands so that we will trust Him to provide for our needs. This deals with things such as our simplest daily provisions (Matt. 6:11, 6:25-34) but also includes spiritual provisions. We must actively put our faith in these promises and seek to fulfill these commands, not out of a mercenary desire, but out of a heart that rests in the gospel of grace.

When our joy grows dim and our hope begins to feel threadbare, we must remember that God has provided for our needs. In Romans 15:13, Paul prayed for his friends that ‘the God of hope would fill them with all joy and peace in believing, so that they would abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ This is submissive, sweet joy that comes from the power and efficacy of the Holy Spirit. He sovereignly grants it to us. We need not live without joy, but we can ask God for it for others and ourselves.

When we become fatigued in the spiritual fights in which we engage, we must walk in the strength of the tools which the Lord provides. Paul’s ‘weapons’ were not fleshly, but ‘divinely powerful’ (2 Cor. 10:4). The Lord gives us many helpful pieces of equipment to protect us in our battles in this life (cf. Eph. 6:10-18). Additionally, the Lord gives us the Spirit of power, love, and discipline (2 Tim. 1:7) to serve Him without timidity and fatigue.

We should not think of hardship and difficulty as a curse from God, either. Remember that Paul’s weakness was uniquely used by God to demonstrate His own power (2 Cor. 12:9). This caused Paul to boast in his weakness, so that the power of Christ would dwell in him. Paul’s weakness became a blessing!

Finally, we must remember that we will not always dwell in weakness. Christians have the good hope of a renewed body when Christ comes to gather His own. Paul tells us that such a renewal means we will have bodies that are “raised in power” so that we may serve the Lord without the weakness of our current flesh (1 Cor. 15:43). We can anticipate this blessed hope to bolster our faith today and until then, we have the Lord’s gracious provision in the Spirit.

The truth is: we have strength for the present, hope for the future, and love for God always.

--Dean of Admissions