God Speaking

“See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him.” (Isaiah 40:10)

As I grow older I am very much aware of how life can change in an instant. We had such an example of this in our own family this week when in the middle of the day the apartment building where my daughter and her husband live, suddenly burst into flames. My daughter was at work, but my son-in-law and all the other residents in the building were forced to immediately vacate the building. Grabbing only his wallet and his cell phone my son-in-law found himself out on the street, feeling absolutely powerless as he watched the fire engine and the firefighters swarm over, what was now, a structure too dangerous to enter. When we are confronted with our own inadequate strength to change circumstances, it can be a very scary moment and when we realise that a situation is developing over which we have no control, the feeling of weakness overpowers us. This is when we need to remember where we can turn to for help

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29)

Somehow or another we all feel like we are in control of our own lives and when life throws at us an occurrence that we have no way of handling, we need to go back to God’s word to check how many before us coped.

Paul is a wonderful example of coping with extenuating events. Once he decided to follow the Lord Jesus Christ life changed for him dramatically. He had led the life of a wealthy well educated Jew, proud of his heritage, proud of his education, proud of his position in the Jewish community, but now he is attacked by the very people he once associated with. The amazing result of walking closely with the Lord is, that Paul is able to realise that, yes, lots of situations leave him powerless and weak, but allowing the Lord’s power to take over, liberated him;

“…Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10)

Perhaps admitting we are powerless and needing help from anybody, is a difficult thing to do. We may pride ourselves on being ready and well prepared for anything that may happen to us, but when we have this attitude, any calamity that appears without warning can leave us helpless, but being aware that even in the worst situation we have the mighty arm of God to help us out, brings about a peace and helps us trust in his protection. We do not then have to be trapped in that helpless feeling of being powerless.

The outcome for my own family was a good one. Although 6 apartments were damaged and the occupants had to find somewhere else to live, my daughter and her husband’s apartment was spared water and smoke damage, but it was a good lesson in trust as they waited three days before they were allowed to check their belongings.

The Lord is always ready to lend his strong arm to those whose strength has gone and to give his mighty power to those who feel powerless. I love this chorus that reminds us of this.

Let the weak say I am strong

Let the poor say I am rich

Let the blind say I can see

What the Lord has done for me.

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• When Weakness Becomes A Strength (http://organizationalchangesolutionsdotcom.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/when-weakness-becomes-a-strength/)