Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be STRONG and courageous for there are more with us than with him. (2 Chron 32:6-7)
‘STRONG and stable’ was the oft-repeated slogan of the ruling Conservative party in 2018. Every time we switched on a news programme, there it was again: under this party the country is ‘STRONG and stable’! And so it seemed to be. Everything looked good, and expectations were high for an increased majority in the forthcoming election.
But things didn’t work out that way. Sadly for the party, the outcome turned out to be a greatly decreased majority, and a Government that was anything but ‘STRONG and stable’.
Words can be powerful, or empty. Encouraging, or misleading.
On the other hand, we have a memory of our granddaughter Isabel as a toddler, speaking out words she had memorised from Ephesians 6:10 Be STRONG in the Lord and in His mighty power. Just like the political slogan ‘STRONG and stable’, Isabel’s words were repeated frequently, encouraged by doting parents! (Wonderful that these were the first words of Scripture that Isabel had memorised). The difference is that her words (God’s Word) did not prove empty; the toddler is now a teenager, standing STRONG in the Lord, walking with Him through all the challenges faced by teenagers in today’s world.
Our words can come back to haunt us. Or they can become a powerful reality.
Hezekiah spoke faith to his people in a time of crisis: Be STRONG and courageous, for there are more with us than with him. And there were. By the power of God they overcame a vast enemy army.
Today, God says to us all: Be STRONG in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Geoff adds: Turning to God when we need strength is so obvious. But it’s amazing how often I turn to my own resources, ability, experience, wisdom ….. Lord help me to go to you first.
