Strength - Psalm 28:6-8

Psalm 28:6-8
Praise the Lord!
For He has heard my cry for mercy.
7The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust Him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
8The Lord gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for His anointed king. (NLT)

One of the things we humans seem to do a lot is try to rely on our own strength. After all, to do something "all by ourselves" brings a feeling of accomplishment... and pride. To feel like you no longer have to rely on someone else to help you.

But the reality is, apart from Jesus we can do nothing. It is He who put the world in motion, and He who continues to make it possible for us to move and do things. Yes, without God, nothing would be possible.

The last couple of days I've been lacking strength. I'm not sure why, but I was just really out of it. This was especially annoying because yesterday I was scheduled to volunteer in the 5 year old class at church, and today I had to work for a few hours at my job.

Just a few minutes before it was time to leave for church, all of the sudden I felt really tired... weak. I laid down for a few minutes, but it didn't help much. I felt better once we arrived, however, during the lesson I felt tired again. I kept saying under my breath, "The joy of the Lord is my strength!" But I couldn't really tell a difference. Then, I got called to the 2 and 3 year old class for a few minutes while one of the teachers was away. I greeted the children, who were playing happily. One 2 year old stopped what he was doing and just looked at me and smiled. He made some car noises, which I imitated, which made him laugh. He was so cute! We continued playing for a little while, and then the teacher came back, so I went go back to the 5 year old class.
As I walked back, I realized that I was not near as tired as I was before. After class was over, I was even able to drive back home! (With my mom in the passenger seat, of course.) But the point is that once I forgot about myself - played with this precious two-year-old even though I'm sure I looked silly - strength came.

This morning I slept in almost an hour without realizing it. Around 9:30 AM that tired, weak feeling came over me again. But this morning I had looked up Scriptures with the word, "shield" in them. I came across Psalm 28:6-8. I spoke it aloud as a prayer, and claimed the promise for myself. I started work with renewed vigor, and all fatigue was gone. Hallelujah!!

So my encouragement to you today is this: God's strength is made perfect in your weakness. (2 Cor 12:9) Next to God, your strength looks like weakness. Instead of relying on your own strength today, even if you "feel" like you can handle it "all by yourself," allow God to work through you. And if you feel like I did - weak and tired - ask Him to be your strength today. He is the One who gives His people strength, and He won't disappoint.


-V4C

P.S. - Sorry again about not posting so long! This wasn't what I was planning on posting about when I wrote the last post. But this just seemed like the right thing to post about today. Oh, and just so you know, I might not have much time to write during November because I'm doing NaNoWriMo for the first time. :)