Robert J. Morgan - The Strength You Need: The Twelve Great Strength Passages of the Bible

W orn out?

If youre tired today, you need more than rest; you need replenishment and rejuvenation. You need an infusion of power in the hidden core of your personality. My wife, Katrina, and I call this: Extra Strength.

Katrina has battled multiple sclerosis for more than a quarter-century, and for the last several years shes been confined to a wheelchair. During this time, Ive tried to maintain a regular and busy schedule, adding caregiver to my roles and obligations and trying, usually successfully, to do it with a positive spirit. Because of our faith, were both highly motivated, and neither of us likes to slow down or give up. But recently Ive felt a little tired, and so has Katrina. The other day as we sat on the porch of our home in Roan Mountain, Tennessee, Katrina said, Robert, will you bring me that bottle of extra strength pills from the kitchen?

Why? I asked. Do you have a headache?

No, she said. Its the extra strength I need.

At first I thought she was kidding, but she wasnt; so I retrieved the bottle and studied it. Sure enough, there on the label was a blood-red designation: Extra Strength. I gave her a couple of pillsand even took two for myself. We chuckled at the experience, but it represents so much of what we all look for in our desire to find more inner power.

That little episode set me thinking: Where can we really find the extra strength required for each day? How do we build ourselves up when weve worn ourselves out?

Im sure you know what its like to be tired. Perhaps you feel exhausted right now. When our strength ebbs, it affects our emotions, which affects our relationships. The Devil knows our frailties, and he knows when were bleak and weak. Our bodies, minds, and souls are wondrously intertwined, so when we droop in one area, it has a cascading effect. The Bible says, If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! (Prov. 24:10).

Yet we do falter and we do need extra strength.

That means getting exercise, rest, and good nutrition and staying as healthy as we can. But theres more. Our physical strength is enhanced by our mental attitudes or, conversely, impaired by them; and our mental attitudes are empowered or polluted by the wellsprings of the heart. That day on the porch, Katrina and I werent on the verge of collapse, but we did feel the weariness that periodically seeps into our bones whatever our age or stage in life. Katrina often needs strength for the simplest tasks, and I need strength for everything from homemaking to globetrotting.

So do you. After all, were living in a difficult age, and events on the world stage are disconcerting. In times like these, we need to be stronger husbands, stronger wives, and stronger people. We need stronger children, stronger families, stronger churches, and a stronger determination to tackle each day for good and for God. If youre like me, you want stronger faith, stronger peace, stronger joy, and more stamina to do the work the Lord assigns each day.

I long for the inner resources to stay afloat during crises and to rally the spirits of others. I want to be more tenacious, to persevere, to be undiscouraged, and undeterred. I want to be fortified against temptation and intimidation. I want to press through today into tomorrow with all the toughness I can find, doing all this through Christ who strengthens me. And I want to do it all with optimism and joy.