Plug into Your Source of Strength

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

--Isaiah 40:20-29, NIV

We’ve all been there—our phone battery suddenly drops into the red zone just when an important call comes in. Will the battery hold out? Or will it go dead, leaving us sounding unprofessional or uncaring or simply unable to finish the important coordination with the home-health-care aides who are checking on our elderly parents?

Finally we get to a place where we see a charger and outlet. We can breathe again as we continue the conversation, our battery power slowly creeping back up into the normal zone.

Our batteries often run dangerously low. We may try to plug into superficial power, such as an extra shot of espresso in the morning or some online shopping. Perhaps we rely on our friends to give us that boost to make us feel important and needed. Or we look to a boyfriend to fill the deep desire for love and affirmation.

But these power sources don’t cut it. They can’t quite get our battery to a full charge. We’re left feeling frustrated, run down, let down, and even defeated. There is only one real energy source, and it is not found at the coffee shop. It is found in that moment when we come before the One who understands every minute detail about us and longs to give power to those who know they are weary and weak before Him.

You may feel like you need a nap, but He never grows weary. You may feel weak in the knees as you struggle to understand how to handle a difficult relationship, but He gives you strength. He provides guidance and wisdom and fills every single need of your heart. His charge will take hold and fill you. But here’s the catch: You need to plug into Him.

Maybe that means adding time with God to your calendar every morning or joining a Bible study in order to read Scripture in a fresh way. Maybe it means listening to a sermon podcast while you make dinner or reaching out to a friend as an accountability partner who will remind you of the only true source of strength—God Himself.

Whatever method you try, it will make a dramatic difference in your life. God may not remove the circumstances that fill up your day, but He will give you the strength to walk with Him through it.

Used with permission of iDisciple Publishers from the book FIND REST by Shaunti Feldhahn.