As a Friend

There are times when I feel weak. Physically weak, because I haven’t slept well. Emotionally weak, because someone has been fighting me. Spiritually weak, because I haven’t felt as close to God as I would like to feel. When I am exhausted, tired, weak…I don’t feel up for the projects in front of me.

There is a beautiful picture in Psalm 18 of God saving us, giving us strength, and equipping us for all we must face. Verse 33 talks about God giving us the steady feet of a deer walking along a mountainside. Verse 34 talks about God preparing us for war and making sure that our hands are strong enough to handle a bow—even a bow of bronze, which no human could possibly bend. We do not have to rely on our own strength; we have a God who rescues us and wants to give us His strength.

God is so amazing; He even uses our weaknesses for His good purposes. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul is describing a struggle in his life, and then he shares what God told him: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.†If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can have the same confidence as Paul, because the Spirit of God is living in us—the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11)! Therefore we can say, “When I am weak, then I am strong†(2 Corinthians 12:10).

Have you ever felt God fill you up with strength when you felt like you couldn’t go on? Have you ever reached out to Him from a hospital bed, a classroom, or a bedroom floor? We don’t have to be strong on our own. God is all-powerful, and He invites us to rely on Him. We don’t ever have to face life without Him. • Emily Acker

• When do you feel weak? How might God be inviting you to rely on Him in these times?

I love you, Lord, my strength. Psalm 18:1 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Exod.33.11|Isa.41.8-Isa.41.10|John.15.15|Jas.2.23