GraceFox

Whewee! What a day’s been. An exciting day, to be sure, but one that’s made me mindful of my dependence on the Lord for strength.

The morning kicked off with a 30-minute drive to attend a meeting that started at 7:15. I make this trek every Monday to gather with a dozen or so men and women involved in local businesses. My horizons are stretching and I’m enjoying getting to know these folks, hearing what’s important to them, and why they do what they do for work.

While there, I met with a woman who designs journals. She has agreed to produce the customized journals for the women’s retreat I’m hosting in February. She showed me two samples, and I made my choice. Can’t wait to give one to each participant as a gift for attending!

A 30-minute drive home followed the meeting. From 10-11 AM, I did a live radio interview with a station in Norfolk, Virginia. I ran errands for the next hour, and then dashed to a meeting with a potential sponsor for the retreat (the meeting resulted in success, by the way!). That took two hours. Now it’s nearly 4:30 and almost time to cook supper. I know I’m going to have to spend at least two hours working this evening, answering emails and preparing what’s needed to attend a networking luncheon tomorrow.

I’m soooo thankful that God gives the strength necessary to do what He calls us to do. Without it, I’d be toast some days.

This morning I read several Scriptures about strength. The first referred to Pharaoh and his self-sufficient attitude soaked in pride.  A self-made man, he was. “The Nile River is mine; I made it for myself, “ he boasted (Ezekiel 29:3). What was God’s response? He said He would come to break the proud strength of Egypt (Ezekiel 30:18).

The second referred to the greats in biblical history: “How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets, By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight” (Hebrews 11:32-34).

What a contrast, eh? Pharaoh revelled in his own strength and went down in defeat while the others acknowledged their weakness and grew in strength.

These Scriptures encourage me today. They tell me I don’t need to be strong, humanly speaking, to do what God has called me to do. In fact, the opposite is true. I head for trouble the moment I start thinking I can effectively minister from my own abilities and power.  I’m better off acknowledging my weakness, depending on God to fill me with His strength, and then giving Him the credit due for the results.

Here’s a great quote to end with. It refers to women, but the principle’s true for both men and women alike. “A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape” (Marta S. Hardy)

May our strength be found not in our own abilities, but in our walk with God!

Question: Do you have a favorite verse or quote about our source of strength? Please share it with us.

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