Praying For Inner Strength

"THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH" (Neh. 8:10).

Let’s pretend that somehow I made the Canadian Olympic weightlifting team. For some strange reason only two men entered the competition: me and, unfortunately, the world champion. It looks like I’ll have to settle for the silver medal. But wait! My opponent receives a phone call just minutes before the start of the competition. It is his wife. She tells him that she is leaving him. Naturally, his heart and mind are no longer set on lifting weights. He is upset. He is troubled. He stands in front of the barbell. His huge arms reach to pick up the heavy load. With a mighty effort, he pulls the barbell to his chest. . . . Suddenly the barbell falls back to the floor. He can’t do it. He quits. Why? There is nothing wrong with his muscles. He’s stronger than ever. The problem is with his heart and mind. They have been weakened.

This illustrates why the strength of your inner person is so important. If your heart and mind is filled with discouragement or anxiety, you will never be victorious when temptation and troubles come.

Fill your mind with good things, not with negative thoughts.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsover things are honese, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK OF THESE THINGS" (Phil. 4:8).

"The joy of the Lord is your strength!"

III. GOD WILL "GRANT" US INNER STRENGTH IF WE ASK HIM FOR IT.

The word "GRANT" indicates the inner strength is a gift from God. It is a gift we can receive if we desire it and ask for it.

"MEN OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY, AND NOT TO FAINT" (Luke 18:1). If you want to avoid fainting, if you want to avoid being discouraged, pray. Ask God for inner strength. He wants to give it to you.

Joni Eareckson Tada writes:

Honesty is always the best policy, but especially when you’re surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a break at a Christian women’s conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, "Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!" Several women around her nodded. "How do you do it?" she asked as she capped her lipstick.

"I don’t do it," I said. "In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning?"

"This is an average day," I breathed deeply. "After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 A.M., I’m alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00 A.M. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up.

"While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ‘Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours? God, I need you desperately."

"So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?" one of them asked.

"I turn my heard toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so," I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, "whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning." (Perfect Illustrations for Every Topic and Occasion,154)