Sooner or later, it’s bound to happen. We reach the end of our strength. We’ve played out.  Hit the wall. You know what I’m talking about. When we’re worn out, our state of mind is affected. Even our faith can falter. As someone once said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Add to that, the increasingly busy life most of us lead, and you have a sure-fire recipe for exhaustion.  And for the discouragement that follows close on its heels.

So glad you’ve joined us for 21 Days of Strength. For three weeks, our focus will be on strength. How to find it. How to keep it. How to make good use of it. How to receive it from God. I’ll say it again. God is close to us when we’re weak, but He wants to make us strong.

The Bible is honest about human frailty, revealing story after story of men and women who reached the end of their strength. But it also shares secrets of how they found strength in God.

We’ve observed how David “strengthened himself in the Lord” after a marauding army of Amalekites raided his village and captured all the women and children.  And how God empowered David and his mighty men to regain all they had lost.

I’ve been thinking back to times in my life when I’ve “hit the wall.” When tough times hit, how do I draw strength from God?  Here are a few simple ways that work for me:

1. I literally go into my room (or my car) and shut the door. Often I will turn my cell phone and laptop off so I won’t even hear the “ding” from someone trying to contact me.   It was Jesus Himself who reminded His disciples to “go into their room and shut the door” when praying to God (Matthew 6:6).
2. I take out my Bible and dig in.  I’m alert to promises that speak directly to my heart,  reveal an area of sin, provide wisdom for a tricky problem, add fire to a dream.   Or I may look in my concordance for verses related to the topic I’m wrestling through. As I read, I commit whatever is on my heart to the Lord in prayer. By pouring over God’s Word, I notice promises that shed light on my situation or give me hope.  I can almost feel my faith re-fire. Romans 10:17 puts it this way: “Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.”
3. I keep watch during the day to notice God at work . I look for the tiny ways He may begin to answer my prayers, solve my problem, fill me with fresh hope and strength. I remember to thank and praise Him. Which in turn, seems to strengthen my faith and breathe even more energy into my tired soul. Psalm 5:3 encourages us to seek God daily and to live with expectant hope: “Morning after morning, I lay my requests before You and eagerly watch for the answers.”

So I’m curious. How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord?