STRENGTH
I am coming off of a year that has left me feeling weak.
Have you ever had one of those? The kind where God shook your foundations to rubble so He can rebuild the walls properly.
Yep, last year was one of those years. I was carrying a burden of expectations of myself and how my family of origin should be/look for so long that I had gotten used to the weight. I thought I was doing a good job of managing until God allowed the burden to fall fully on my shoulders. I have to admit, it almost crushed me. I am so grateful for a God who knew how much I could take but didn’t want me to continue to live in denial about my need for Him.
I am a strong willed striver and very self reliant by nature and these traits have helped get me this far in life. But, I also know that being strong my way gives me a hard heart. I have little grace for those “weaker” than me and rely on my own instincts and not on God’s grace, truth, and strength through the hard times. Isaiah 30:15 says this:
For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your STRENGTH.” but you were unwilling,
(emphasis mine)
Did you catch that? In quietness and trust shall be your strength. But we want to work at it! Can being strong really be that easy? God assures me that it is.
I don’t want to be like the Israelites and unwilling to be quiet and trust.
So I am working on being quiet and trusting the LORD. I know in my heart of hearts that what this verse in Isaiah says is true.
Will you join me on learning how to be strong the biblical way this year?