Be Strong
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Psalm 28:7, KJV).
You have heard the saying, “Buck up, be strong” when hard things happen. The idea is that we are to grit our teeth and push through whatever we are facing. We are tough. We can stand. We are not quitters.
Right.
Sometimes life knocks us right on our backsides.
Sometimes we have no strength to “be strong”.
When families fall apart.
When death comes.
When persecution strikes.
When cancer attacks.
When our child is hurt.
When we face financial ruin.
Strong is not the word we use to describe ourselves.
Still Second Timothy 2:1 reads
“Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
Paul, himself, tells us to be strong.
Without going back and addressing why that “therefore” is there, (you can read chapter one for yourself) I want to focus on that one verse.
You see, Paul didn’t just say, “be strong”. He said, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” That is a whole different thought. He didn’t expect believers to muster up strength on their own. He expects them to jump into the ocean of grace that is Jesus and depend on His strength to see them through.
Grace – unmerited, unearned favor. Granted to us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
I have no strength of my own when trials come, but I can stand in the strength of my Savior knowing that He is able to keep me and all that I have committed unto Him (2 Timothy 1:12).
The next time someone tells you to be strong, just reply, “by the grace of Jesus Christ, I will.”
That’s a biblical answer, for He is our strength.
Father, I’ve been feeling pretty weak lately. So many things are happening to so many people I love. Thank You for Your ocean of grace that I can stand in. Thank You for Your strength that undergirds me. Thank You for being Light and Life in this world of darkness. You are my strength and my song. I know You are able to keep all that I have committed to You. You are faithful every day. I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Heart Check:
Where are you struggling to be strong today?
How can you rest in the strength that Christ provides?
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