The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
(Psalm 28:7 ESV)
But cheer up! Because I, the Lord All-Powerful, will be here to help you with the work, just as I promised your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt. Don’t worry. My Spirit is right here with you.
(Haggai 2:4-5 CEV)
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m doing some discerning for some decisions – nothing MAJOR, or mind-blowing, just some modest, next-steps decisions. The process is going well and I’ve had some solid confirmations for some of the things I believe I want to do. I’m not finalizing anything yet, but I do know that in order to do All the Things, one has to have a great deal of strength.
You and I both know that our strength comes from the Lord. In Joshua 1:9 (NIV) God tells us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” In Psalm 28:7 (NCV) the Psalmist tells us, “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him, and he helps me.” The strength we need always comes from the Lord.
Last week I was thinking about the concept of spiritual (and mental, and emotional, and relational, and physical, and ….) strength and came back to a small story in the middle of one of those long and “boring” genealgies in the Old Testament. In my experience, unless you are a Bible scholar or are looking for something very specific, reading the genealogies is an easy way to have your eyes glaze over. However, every so often, there will be something that catches your attention and, for me, it was this little verse: Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. (1 Chronicles 4:9 NIV). This is all we know about Jabez: he had brothers, his name is similar to the Hebrew word for “pain,” he prayed a prayer that God heard, and God granted his request. Sounds simple enough, right? Yet, this one verse, expanded into a small book by David Wilkerson in the early 2000’s, caught the attention of a lot of people.
It’s first prayer, that God would bless me and enlarge my territory, is what came to my mind when I was thinking about my decisions and the strength required to make those decisions come to life. Assuming I move forward with the things I’m thinking to do, I will be “expanding my territory.” Finding the balance between family and the different work, personal, and church projects is a challenge. Just as moving from a small house to a larger house involves more cost of utilities, yard work, physical maintenance, etc., expanding from a “smaller life” into a “larger one” involves change, too. And when God expands our territory (especially in Kingdom-related ministry!), we must seek him for the energy and strength to do all that we’re called to do.
One of my favorite Bible verses comes from Isaiah 40:31. Its call is to wait on the Lord – to abide, to dwell, to live in, to remain with – so that we can have the strength we need. “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (ESV). We are exhorted to “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV). We know that “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2 ESV)
So, today, for the decisions you are making, for the activities you are doing, for the Kingdom-purposes you are pursuing, for the people you are blessing…. May the Lord give you his strength as he blesses you, enlarges your territory, and protects you in your endeavors. AMEN.
May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! (Psalm 29:11 ESV)