Category: spirituality

So be strong and courageous all you who put your hope in the Lord.

Psalm 31: 24

What does being strong mean to you? I was blessed with the opportunity to visit these beautiful mountains in Colorado recently and something that really resonated with me was the strength of these mountains. Feeling close to something that felt so strong and unbreakable was really grounding. To me being strong can mean different things at different times. In the scripture Psalm 31:24 King David talks about strength and courage as hoping in the Lord. To me I think that as humans it can be hard sometimes to truly hope in the Lord. For me being strong can sometimes mean pushing myself to do something I don’t want to do, but I know is good for me. Like forcing myself to wake up early or to staying on top of things that really matter etc. Then there are times where strength looks like being completely overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions and pushing myself just a little harder to fight those thoughts. Those negative thoughts can creep in at anytime and try to take captive. However, I can have peace knowing that my strength comes from the Lord who already told me that those thoughts are only a weak plot from the enemy to throw me off for a second. God’s truth will always be stronger than anything causing anxiety in our minds.

That’s one part of strength, but what about being strong in something that isn’t mental but real? Like war? I was in Israel this past June and I witnessed the beautiful land where God held his chosen people, and where Jesus walked, lived, died and rose again. I wonder what kind of strength Jesus felt? I can’t imagine that strength at all. Right now there is so much war and things happening in Israel and all around the world. Many people are being forced to be strong as they live through horrific realities of war or climate change, or whatever hardship they are facing. All I can truly do is pray for God’s will and protection from afar and have hope for the future.

Whether it’s war that killing innocent people or we’re struggling with negative thoughts and emotions, sometimes we are forced us to be strong. To be strong in those times of hardships, whether they’re mental or real, or just anything else that may be hard in your life. In all that, we always have God to be our strength as we put our hope in Him. He is the one that protects, provides, loves, and cares about all these things we have to be strong for. Can we put our hope in the Lord in times where things are looking or feeling tough? Can we actually rest in knowing that there is a God who has given us a hope and a future?

It’s interesting because sometimes when I think about strength having hope doesn’t really seem like the first thing I would relate strength to, but when you think about it, I’m sure there were many times in your life where hope is what got you through another day. When things are rough let’s rest and remember God’s love for us and for that simple reason alone we can have hope and cultivate strength.

Thank God for that.

God bless you brothers and sisters in Christ.

Have an amazing day!