“Can you please talk about “Strength?” Cause my bff/sis has Breast Cancer. And I need all the strength I need to help her though this.”
When I read this, I didn’t know what to say, what to write. And I prayed for God to give me something that would be meaningful and would be helpful. And a few minutes later the Spirit just popped the phrase into my mind,
You Only Need Strength For Today.
God promises us so many things on a day by day basis. In Psalm 68:19 it says God “daily loads us with benefits.” And of course the Lord’s prayer says “Give us our daily bread.”
But it’s hard to think only in terms of today, only in terms of the present moment, because our minds are constantly thinking and planning ahead. Sometimes the planning is useful, but most of the time our thoughts are just on all the things that can go wrong tomorrow– in other words, worry. It is worry that drains our energy and strength. Think about Peter walking on the sea. He was doing fine while he was looking on Jesus and not thinking about the future. But when he started looking at the waves and the wind his mind started playing the “what if?” game— what if a wave hits me? what if the storm gets worse? what if Jesus decides to let me drown? His fear, worry, and doubt of the future caused him to start sinking.
That’s why, I think, God teaches us and encourages us to focus on the now, on today. We are never asked to pray for tomorrow’s bread. If you remember back to the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, God specifically tried to break them of the habit of worrying about what would happen tomorrow by only giving them the manna that they needed that very day.
And just like Peter, just like the children of Israel, God will be faithful to give you the strength that you need for today. And tomorrow, God will be faithful to give you the strength that you will need tomorrow, whatever comes your way. And each and every day, for the rest of your life, God will never fail to give you the strength that you need for each and every day. So keep focused on that sure source of strength, keep focused on today, and live in God’s grace.
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