My Strength vs. GOD’s Strength

I was studying the concept of inner-strength the other day. This is something that has often times intrigued me. As a person of faith, I truly believe that my strength comes from the LORD. Where I struggle, however, is when I think I am responsible to act, lead, and serve in my own strength. When I live in such a way, I am invariably tired, ornery, stressed, and wimpy. This is not good for me, and certainly not for those who have to spend time being around me. It can be hard to admit at times, but this is sort of an inner struggle for me to draw upon GOD’s strength as opposed to counting on my own. After all, GOD’s strength is limitless where mine is safe to say, well short of limitless.

I am reminded of a great story where a father and son were walking on a trail and passed a large boulder. The dad told his son, “I bet you can move that rock if you use all your strength.” The little tike stressed and strained against the rock, but it did not budge. Embarrassed and exasperated, the boy looked to his father and said, “I guess you were wrong; I used all my strength and I couldn’t move it.” The father lovingly knelt down beside him and said, “Son, you didn’t use all your strength, because you didn’t ask for my help.”

The Bible tells us that GOD wants to help us learn to allow His strength to be our strength. When we insist on doing things our own way, regardless of the task, we run the risk of emptying our strength reserve. Let’s face it…our strength is limited whereas GOD’s is limitless! But when we rely on GOD’s strength first, we are capable of things we cannot possibly imagine!

I love the exchange that GOD had with the Prophet Isaiah, talking about this very subject: strength. GOD had charged Isaiah with sharing His message and helping to inspire His people to change. Isaiah began this work in His own strength and he found himself worn out and burned out. Sound familiar? Check out the conversation between the LORD and Isaiah: “‘[Isaiah] replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’ And now the Lord speaks—the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him. The Lord has honored me, and my GOD has given me strength.  He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49.4-6, NLT, emphasis mine)

I love this passage, because it teaches that GOD wants to infuse us with His strength for living out our lives, the tasks great and small. When we do that, then GOD adds purpose to our endeavors and transforms them to achieve goals that we likely cannot even conceive…even to help bring salvation to the ends of the earth! These are lofty goals to be sure, but it all begins when you allow GOD’s strength to enter, empower, and transform you in little and big things alike!

We are mortal beings—there’s no way around that! Even in our best times, we will tire out if left on our own. So as you seek to live anew, calling upon and counting on the strength of GOD to be your power, remember the words of the Psalmist: “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but GOD remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” (Ps.73.26, NLT) 

May GOD indeed be the strength you need now and forever!

"Lectio Divina"

Recently I have been recommitting myself and encouraging others to delve into the Word of God for personal study and reflection. The Bible isn’t just a cool book (it certainly is that!), but the actual Word of God given to us to help us not only navigate life, but make a difference in it! Paul wrote, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3.16-17) Since we strive to be God’s servants, it is good for us to know what God wants to say to us, and the best way to do that is to read His Word and pray upon it regularly. I know that it can be a daunting task to get started, so let me share with you a system I use to dig deeper in the Word of the Lord.

I participated in a pastors’ conference last month that taught me an ancient model for reading Scripture and praying over it to consider and discern the heart of God. This model is called, Lectio Divina, which is Latin for holy reading. Lectio Divina has its roots in the 3^rd Century and is the practice of scriptural reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation intended to increase the knowledge of God's Word and promote communication with God.

There are four steps to the Lectio Divina holy reading that I would like to share and encourage you to incorporate into your own personal Bible reading and prayer. Of course, if you do not have one, this is a GREAT way to start. Before you begin, however, you must prepare yourself by carving out a time, finding a quiet comfortable place, and removing distractions – real or potential – so you can enjoy some uninterrupted time with the Lord.

The first step of the Lectio Divina begins with reading the Bible! You could start with a Psalm, a favorite passage, or maybe just a section within a chapter. The key is to make it manageable, so don’t try to do too much, especially in the beginning. Read through the passage in order to gain a grasp as to what God might want to say to you. You might want to read through it a couple times, but the key is to get familiarized with the text.

The second step of the Lectio Divina is to hone in on a word, phrase, concept, or verse(s) that jumps out at you and meditate upon it. The term meditation comes from a Latin word which literally means to chew as a cow chews its cud. Meditation in this sense is thinking and listening to the Holy Spirit for what God wants you to consider and going over it and over it and over it to hear from the Lord and find a deeper meaning. Once you feel like you have chewed upon and savored the sweetness of the Lord, it is time to move on to the third aspect of Lectio Divina.

The third step of the Lectio Divina is prayer. You have listened to God speak to you, so now it is time to speak to the Lord. Tell God what you think. Tell God where you struggle. Share your heart, your pains, your ideas, and the needs of your life…not just the simple things, but those that exist below the surface and perhaps no one else is even aware. In the Christian tradition, prayer is understood as dialogue with God – as a loving conversation with God who has invited you into an embrace – so embrace God and feel God embrace you, too! After you have said your piece, and feel you have allowed God time to speak as well, then it is time for the last part of the Lectio Divina.

The fourth and final step of the Lectio Divina is to contemplate your time with God. In contemplation, you are essentially reviewing the previous three steps before embarking upon the rest of your day. You might want to read through the passage again in light of what you have experienced. Meditate and chew on what you have discovered that the Lord revealed to you. Reflect over your prayer and how God might – nor might not! – have answered you in that moment. Once you feel like you are done, you are!

After going through this process, it will undoubtedly shape or reshape your day. Some days might be more enlightening than others, but this is an exercise and a process that will help you deepen your understanding and appreciation of your life in God and God’s life in you. If you would like to practice this further, and could use some help, please, let me know! I would love to hear from you and share in your experiences. Also, the small group that I help facilitate will be working through some of the Psalms using this Lectio Divina process. We will begin meeting next Wednesday (Sept.12) from 6:30-8:30pm at Bob and Debbie Johns’ home in Senoia and you are welcome to join us!

God bless you in your work to grow in the Lord. There is absolutely no substitute for reading scripture and praying to the Lord allowing Him to speak to you, too. Give this Lectio Divina process a try and see what happens. As always, I would LOVE to hear from you about your experiences and epiphanies as you dedicate time to spend with our loving and amazing God!