Inner Strength
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!” Jude 1:24,25
I had a giggle yesterday – maybe more like a laugh. Because I live alone, I talk out loud to God all day long. No need to communicate silently because it’s just Him and me here. I was pouring out my heart to the Lord, when I suddenly thought how it would sound if someone overheard me. They might wonder about my sanity—or they might think I was saying all the things about myself! I had a good laugh—and continued my communication. It’s a delight to be able to pray and sing aloud all through the day and night to our wonderful God. I sense His sweet presence with me.
Some people say to me that they could never face the trials I’ve had—that they don’t have it in them. I’ve realized that, on our own, none of us can endure the trials of life. But, when they come, as we press in to the Lord, He pours out strength, a deep inner strength that helps us get through the hard times.
I love this verse: “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being“ (Ephesians 3:16).
From His power and might, His riches, He pours strength into our inner being. We may feel that we’re dry as the desert, but He meets us with the rain of His strength and gives us inner strength. When the pressures, the trials, come—He sustains us from within so that we don’t crumble under the weight of the trials.
I look back over the last eight years and see how God has stretched and strengthened my inner being. I couldn’t have survived otherwise. His power in me, the inner strength He has built, is greater than any of the pressure, trials, and troubles around me.
As we press into Him in the midst of our trials, He increases our inner strength that draws from His strength…and we will not be shaken! Whatever life throws at us, God is with us and increases our ability to handle what comes our way. His power in us is made perfect in our weakness!
God, teach us to reach for Your strength so we will be strengthened in the deepest parts of ourselves. Out of Your glorious riches, would You strengthen us with power through Your Spirit in our inner being. Amen.
Praying you’re right Sally, my inner being definitely needs strength and there is no way I can do it on my own…the sheer willpower I have mainly relied upon to get all the things done that have needed to be done with several family members over the last 20 months is gone, am hopefully finally relying on Gods grace and the power of His Holy Spirit for the rest of the crazy journey we are on. Praying it ends quickly but since that is most likely not the case praying I am humble enough to continue to kneel at the throne of Jesus and surrender my illusion of control one more time before I completely loose it…thank you for this devotional, as always you’ve touched my heart.