From Strength to Strength

It was another Monday morning. I lay on my side in bed, staring at the clock on my nightstand. I did not want to get up. I was so tempted to pull the covers up over my face and hide myself from the world for who knows how long. However, I sat up, got out of bed, and stumbled to the bathroom. I stared at my puffy face in the mirror. My eyes were so red from crying endlessly the night before. I turned the shower on and began my morning routine. I remember crying the whole way through my routine for several days in a row. In those moments, I had to remind myself of God’s truth and just keep going. 

In my own strength, I knew that I would never have gotten up out of that bed. But, in God’s strength, I made it through that day—that week—that month—to where I am today. 

 

God, being the wonderful, wise, loving Father that He is, does not overload us by showing us every single step He wants us to take. He just shows us one step at a time, and He gives us the strength for that exact step. You could even say we go from strength to strength… hehe… sound familiar? 

 

So how do we let God be God and lean into the power and strength that He provides for us instead of trying to do it all on our own?  

 

 

Promise of Strength 

First, we must cling to the promises of God’s strength that He gives to us in His Word. Start by memorizing passages that supply us with these promises, and then ask God to bring them to your mind when you need them most. Here are some passages that have been so encouraging for me:

 

• Isaiah 40:29-31 
• Isaiah 41:10 
• Psalm 73:26 

 

Practical Application of Strength 

Once God gives us strength, we must put it to good use. Here are some Bible-based, practical tips that helped me take steps in the middle of my disappointment (they come from counselors and godly influences and the prompting of the Holy Spirit):

 

• Remember, we have already acknowledged that we have access to the power of God. Our strength is not our own. Determine in your own mind that you are going to lean into that strength and access that power. This is a daily decision, so ask for help from God as soon as you wake up in the morning! (Hebrews 4:16). 
• Get up out of bed, take a shower, brush your teeth, make your bed, make some coffee, go work out… get into an easy routine for yourself (for both morning and nighttime). 
• Make reasonable goals for yourself. (Examples: read a book this month, learn a new craft, listen to a Christian podcast/sermon once a week, or go for a walk daily.) You can apply this to your devotional life as well. Don’t do more than you can handle. Maybe read one chapter or only read for 10 minutes. As you grow and heal, you will be able to branch out slowly by maybe reading more chapters or for longer. 
• Put your phone away from your bed at night, and replace the time you would spend on your phone in prayer. Meditate on God’s goodness from the day.   
• Delete apps that promote comparison and do not encourage healing (cough cough social media). (Matthew 5:29)
• Plug into a ministry in your church! I have found that when I serve, I am not thinking about myself and my situation as much because I am focused on meeting the needs of others. I have also found that I walk away more refreshed and more joyful after I spend time serving. 
• Surround yourself with counselors and godly friends that will speak truth to you. (Proverbs 11:14)
• “Eliminate the moment”—you know yourself! Don’t put yourself in a situation in which you know you are weak and will easily give into temptation. Put up spiritual walls in your life to protect you from the fiery darts. 
• Get accountability! I have friends that I know if I were in the middle of an anxiety attack, I could text them and they would speak truth to me. I have other friends that ask me consistently how I’m doing or if I did my devotions that day. A lie we often believe is that we are alone in the struggle. But God did not create us to do this life on our own, so get help!  (James 5:16) 
• Plan your rest. Don’t overwhelm yourself or attempt to distract yourself with a busy schedule. Either you will get burnt out so quickly, or your body will crash and force you to rest by making you sick. So rest! It’s okay to slow down. 

 

I am not a pro at this. In fact, I am still learning how to do these things well. What you do for yourself may look different than what I did, but the idea is that you are saturating your suffering with Biblical thinking and not self-pity. The best thing you can do is encourage godly healing in your own life. You can also apply these things to your life outside of suffering! 

 

Praising God for His Strength 

One of the best things I learned to do before stepping into a trial that I still use consistently was the practice of praise! Praising God is the solution to pride because you are putting the focus back on Him and His unchanging attributes. When we are focused on God, we are also less focused on self. These are some passages that could help you understand the power of praise in the midst of your trials: 

 

• Psalm 28:7 
• Psalm 63:3-4
• Job 1:21 
• Psalm 34:1-2 
• Psalm 42 
• Daniel 4:37

 

 

All of these thing are meant to help us lean into God’s strength so that we can take the necessary next steps, even if it’s hard or confusing. God does not call us into a valley just to leave us there, but rather He supplies us with what we need to come through the other side praising Him. 

 

~mckayla :)