God Is Our Strength
Life is invariably riddled with moments that we believe are the toughest we’ve ever experienced, and honestly, I’m not here to judge whether or not that is true, or to tell you that you’ve said it too much or over too little, or to even tell you to grow up and pull yourself up by your bootstraps (or shoe strings… not everyone wears boots). All of these moments are intensely personal, and for different internal reasons, we experience things on a different level than one another.
Instead, I’d like to take a look at how Paul, one of the early champions of the Christian church, handled moments that were very tough, and how we, too, can employ these concepts into our own life.
Habits of Connection
Whenever I become stressed or overwhelmed, I stop doing basic things that I know help me - I stop taking my medicine, I stop eating. I start engaging in habits that, if I’m not careful, can lead me to relapse.
In 2020, we all struggled uniquely with how the pandemic affected us and those we love. For me, I experienced a relapse. This relapse was very difficult, and came to a boiling head in early September. I was so overwhelmed by feelings of being out of control in my life. I couldn’t see the next moments clearly enough to know I would even be here for them. I took a big step and poured it out to my husband who was sitting across the table from me. And he threw me a life preserver - TalkSpace.
I reached out to someone and we’ve been working together since that day. That’s not to say all of my bad days have been eradicated and I’m happy and feeling fulfilled and like my life is worth living every single day, but I’m working on it. I’m working on identifying situations that can lead to relapse behaviors or negative thought processes. In doing so, I’m not becoming a robot, or a shell of a person, but it’s opening my mind so I can fight back against the negative thoughts which hold me back from thinking of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise (cf. Philippians 4:8).
I’ve been able to see that when I feel out of control or I’m having a depressive episode, I stop reading my Bible and I stop talking to God. Yes, this is counterintuitive to remembering that God is there in each moment, and desires for us to know that our strength comes through him; but also recall we are humans. The original sin was a result of believing that we knew better than God.
And so I start to think that I know better than God, “Maybe God can’t meet me here. Maybe God can’t come this low because this darkness is too deep. And, honestly, I’m comfortable in the darkness. Sheets pulled, curtains drawn. It’s pretty comfortable, and I’m really tired.”
But Psalm 139 says he has searched us and known us. God knows when we sit and when we rise. The Psalmist asks, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Not the heavens, nor the depths; not rising on the wings of the dawn or to the far side of the sea. Even there his hand guides me. His right hand holds on (Psalm 139: 8-10).
“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,
Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139: 11-12).
When Despair Feels too Great
Paul had some tough times as an early missionary of the church. For one, he faced opposition. Secondly, people knew who Paul used to be… “Er, wait, I thought his name was Saul. Who’s he trying to fool, right?” We also know that Paul dealt with some form of recurring thorn in his flesh, if you will.
In 2 Corinthians 1, though, Paul and Timothy are greeting the church at Corinth. Paul opens the letter talking about suffering and the purpose of suffering for Christ. He told the church they couldn’t imagine the kind of struggles they endured in Asia. “[They] were completely overwhelmed -- beyond [their] strength -- so that [they] even despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8).
They found at this moment that past their human strength, past their internal motivators to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, was God’s strength. They credited their survival in this time to God’s strength, saying, “He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).
If I received a message from someone saying, “Hey! How is it going? Remember that trip I was on? Well, I was completely overwhelmed beyond my strength. I didn’t know if I was going to live, but God delivered me from death.” I’d have some questions. A LOT of questions. The reply would go something like this: “What happened? What? You almost DIED? I’m glad you didn’t die, but let’s go back to WHAT HAPPENED?!”
They don’t go into detail here, which can be frustrating, but what I want us to take from this is not so much that they were suffering, but where they found their hope in suffering. They not only credited God for delivering them, but spoke to future sufferings in faith knowing God would deliver them again.
We can’t exactly know what helped them stay strong in their faith, but here are three things we know of God that can help center us when we experience these struggles:
God is omniscient. God knows everything: the inner workings of all of our stories, the course of all of our lives. Good never loses sight of the big picture. He is the picture, by which all things are held together.
God is omnipresent. He is everywhere and with us through all things.
God is omnipotent. God is all-powerful. It is by his power that we live, we move, and we have our being (Acts 17:28).
And yet, the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God that holds us together holds us close to himself. When Jesus came, Immanuel, God with us, he broke down the walls so that we could know him for ourselves.
Oh, that we would remember in our darkest days those times when God has delivered us before; and that we would believe that he can and will do it again, according to his will - whether that be in this life, or in the life to come.
Appendix
For more encouragement, read:
Psalm 41, Psalm 42
Music:
“Highs and Lows” Hillsong Young & Free
“King of My Heart” John Mark McMillan
“Satisfied in You (Psalm 42)” The Sing Team
“Oh God” Citizens & Saints
“House of God, Forever” Jon Foreman
“Every Little Thing” Hillsong Young & Free
“Here Now (Madness)” Hillsong UNITED
“Another In The Fire” Hillsong UNITED
