Every person has a few areas that God continually keeps bringing to the surface over and over during their life. A tough spot, a tendency, call it what you want.
One of mine is that I think I am strong. One of the meanings of my name, Breanna, means “strong.” I claim that wholeheartedly, and many times it’s true. I’m a strong person in many ways.
Being strong isn’t always good, though.
Like when you are struggling through a tough time, guess what strong people try to do? Stay strong. This can be good. But often times trying to be strong just weakens you the harder you try. Often times, when you are trying to be strong, you lose all strength.
Often when you are strong, you rely on your strength, yourself to be strong. You depend on you. It’s a resolute determination. Can you relate to what I’m describing here?
The problem with this, spiritually, is that when I try to be strong, I have made a mistake. Not with the desire. But with who I look to for that strength. Too many times I look to myself to be strong. At times I would look to others for strength when I began to feel weak. But I think we both know where truth strength comes from- God.
I may be strong on my own. But not strong enough. Especially not alone. And even with others, I still don’t have all the strength I need many times. God is the only one who can be my strength when I am weak.
Thankfully I have learned that. It may have taken until the end of my freshman year of college to completely have that truth branded into my mind and deep in my heart, but I fully believe that God alone is my source of strength now.
On Sunday, Matthew West played here at the Indiana State Fair. I was on the third row, listening to an awesome testimony he shared, and then he played a song that was inspired by the story of someone from my state. I think he would be fine that I share just a clip of this song with you. It touched my heart so deeply and resonated with everything inside me because I know the lyrics to be true. I have prayed the words you hear Matthew West singing. I think the title is called “Strong Enough” from his upcoming album.
I want to encourage you now, if you are trying to be strong on your own, in your own strength, or if you are seeking your strength from things around you, or if you are weak and need strengthening…God can be strong enough for you!
There were those who wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 that they “were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God.” They knew they didn’t have any strength but didn’t depend on themselves to find it.
Isaiah wrote this next passage that is very encouraging: “The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).
David understood this. He wrote in Psalm 73:26 that even though his flesh and heart might fail, “God is my strength and portion forever!”
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:10.
1 Timothy 4:12 