God of Strength

I am a champion worrier. From childhood on I was always thinking, “what if . . .” But by God’s grace, I learned how to overcome much of it. The temptation to be fearful and live in constant worry will be a battle that all of us will be fighting until Christ returns, or we go to Him. When this monster rears its ugly head we need to be willing and able to beat it down. We do this by arming ourselves with truth from God’s word: truth about God’s character, what He is capable of, what He has promised to do for us, and the sacrifice of our Redeemer. All of these things will begin to suffocate the beast that can cause us sleepless nights, knots in our stomach, and wayward thoughts.

The book of Psalms is such a great place for us to go when we feel afraid or overwhelmed. Over and over again we see David and some of the other writers pour out their fears and worries only to come to the realization that because they have the Lord they have no reason to fear.

One of the reasons we don’t need to be overcome by fear and worry is because God is our strength. Charles Spurgeon once said that if the Omnipotent One is your guard you have no reason to be afraid. What can come at you that He cannot help you overcome? To help us push back against our fear we must remind ourselves exactly how God is our strength.

God Is Our Strength Because He Defeats Our Enemies

God knows we are frail, like dust that is easily blown around. We don’t have the strength we need to defeat our enemies because our enemies are powerful and we wear out easily. But our God has strength that even surpasses the strongest temptation and most daring enemy, even our most overwhelming fears.

The Lord has promised to be our help and to destroy the enemies that come against His children.

As a demonstration of your loyal love, destroy my enemies.

Annihilate all who threaten my life, 

for I am your servant.

– Psalm 143:12

Instead of letting fear and worry overcome us and paralyze us, we need to hide behind our Savior and rest in the truth that His strength is unmatched and works on our behalf.

The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.

– Exodus 14:14

God Is Our Strength Because He Never Tires

The Lord never fails in what He wants to do (Job 42:2; Isaiah 43:13; 2 Chrononicles 20:6). He never grows tired and His strength, unlike ours, never runs out.

There are times when it feels like this divine strength is far from us, doesn’t it?  Or that it is not “working.” I believe it is because during those times we are relying on our own strength instead of God’s. We may ask for help but then try to do it on our own. But remember, God says His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The strength of God protects your soul so no harm can ever come to it. It gives you the fortitude to stand up under the afflictions that come your way. It is what allows you to place one foot in front of the other when you are in the midst of a raging storm. The strength of God gives you the determination to not give into temptations and the ability to conquer them with confidence. And, it is His strength that takes your sins and hurls them into the utmost part of the sea never to condemn you again.

“He is the strength of my life, not only the protector of my exposed life, who keeps me from being slain, but the strength of my frail weak life, who keeps me from fainting, sinking, and dying away.” Charles Spurgeon

Looking To Jesus,