Strength Beyond the Physical

^‘In the day when I cried out, you answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.’ (Psalm 138:3). 

On Psalm 138:3 James Nalton comments, ‘it is one gracious way of answering our prayers when God doth bestow upon us spiritual strength in our souls; if He does not give the things we desire, yet if He gives us strength in our souls, He graciously answers our prayers. What is this spiritual strength? I answer, it is a work of the Spirit of God, enabling a man to do and suffer what God would have him without fainting or backsliding’.

The soul of a man is made up of the mind, will and emotions. After God created man from the dust of the earth, all man’s organs were in place but it was not until, God breathed into man, that he became a living soul (Gen 2:7). When God breathed into man it was His spirit that man received (Job 32:8). This clearly reveals that, the empowerment of the spirit of God gives strength to the soul of man. Without God’s empowerment Adam could have never functioned. It takes strength beyond the physical for one to be delivered from sin and live a fulfilled life. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us the strength He brings goes into the core of our being and fully empowers us from within. The power we receive makes us do that which is far beyond our wildest imagination.

DL Moody’s story will bring you much encouragement. ‘He became a spokesman for God and a changer of nations. But if you'd met him early in life you wouldn't have thought it was possible. Although he was raised in church, he was spiritually ignorant. When he moved to Boston he began attending a Bible-preaching church. In April of 1855, a Sunday school teacher came to the shoe shop where he worked and led him to Christ. A month later, when he applied to become a member of that church, it was clear that he knew nothing about the Bible. One of his Sunday school teachers later wrote, 'I've never met anyone who seemed less likely to become a Christian of clear and decided views, much less fill any place of public usefulness.' So they asked him to take a year of Bible study. During his interview with the membership committee a year later, his answers were only slightly improved. He was barely literate and used atrocious grammar. Nobody on that church committee thought God would ever use him. But they were wrong.

The people who say you will never amount to anything for God, are wrong too! Every oak tree starts as an acorn. Jesus began in a stable but He didn't stay there. David was a shepherd boy with a slingshot but he became Israel's greatest king. Joseph was a prisoner but he became prime minister. Understand this: you are a seed capable of producing a harvest for God. So take all that you have and all that you are, place it into God's hands and be willing to start small’ (UCB - Word for today).

What are the struggles you are going through in life today? Do you feel like you are at your wits’ end? Stop depending on your own strength and ask God for strength for your soul. By strength shall no man prevail (1 Sam 2:9). If you are not a devoted Christian, surrender you life to Christ today. You can accept Christ by repenting of your sins and believing in Him as the Son of God who came to die for your sins (John 3:16, Mark 1:15). If you are already a born again Christian, ask God to give you the grace to totally depend on Him, and seek more of His empowerment through the overflow of His Holy Spirit in you. Remember, with God all things are possible to those that believe (Mark 9:23).