I seem to be surrounded by people telling me how tired they are. Perhaps it’s just the effect I have on them! However we are feeling right now, there are limits to our strength. Paul had an extremely busy ministry, and he was fully aware that he needed God’s special strength for the work he had to do. This verse reminds us of Paul’s words to the Philippians: “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). That’s a bold claim, but it was Paul’s personal experience as he faced up to continual resistance and challenges. Few Christian leaders have faced the range of difficulties that he did. He was confronted by violent opposition on many occasions, endured years of imprisonment, suffered three shipwrecks and was constantly exposed to abuse and danger. When he talks about God giving him strength, he is worth listening to!

There can be no doubt of God’s ability to give us the strength that we need, but he can only do so if we are humble enough to receive it. We will always be tempted to think that we can cope by ourselves. We look at our experience and our gifts and imagine that we have all the resources to keep going. The truth is that our own resources are incredibly limited. What we need to do is ensure we are leaning on God’s strength from the start.

St Augustine said: “For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, humility is the third.” God wants us to know how completely we depend upon him and, as we do so, we are given all the strength we need to be effective and strong in his service.

In what ways have you experienced God giving you strength?

Loving Father, thank you that you understand me so well. Thank you that you are able to give me the strength I need to face every new challenge. Amen