How to Strengthen Yourself in the Lord
There’s no debating that hardships will happen; disappointments and struggles are just a part of life. The question is not if we will face difficulties, but how we will respond to them when they occur. Will we strengthen ourselves in the Lord or settle for some other not-so-effective coping method?
As believers, we have something the world doesn’t have: a relationship with the King of kings. The assurance that our God is sovereign over every situation. Yet the understanding that we are in the palm of God’s Almighty hand doesn’t mean hard things won’t happen. (It’s through trials we experience God and shore up our faith.). But it does mean we have someone to turn to, cling to, and trust in when the hard things do happen, pummeling us like rain on a window blowing 50 miles per hour.
In Scripture, before Joshua’s death, before the book of Judges, before a season of intense testing in which Israel failed to conquer the remaining portions of the Promised Land as they were supposed to, the Lord said this to Israel, “But you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day” (Josh. 23:8).
The word cling in Hebrew is just as it sounds: it means to fasten yourself. Picture a shirt overcome by static (not hard to do in the middle of winter) or a frightened two-year-old clinging to their parent outside the church nursery, and you’ve got the idea.
But how do we cling to the Lord? How do we actually hold fast to the King of kings when disappointments beat us down? Good question. If I go to the Lord for help but spend my entire prayer time complaining and panicking—begging for my will over God’s—then I didn’t really go to the Lord. I’m just stirring myself up in the name of Jesus. And let me tell you, panicky prayer times never offer the peace I’m looking for.
But when I stop to remember who I’m speaking with and all that He’s done for me, things usually go much better. Friends, there is strength in remembering who our God is.
Remember the Lord your God
Over and over, the Lord told Israel to remember, and there is a reason! When pressures arise, our first line of defense against worry and fear is remembering the Lord our God. Viewing any situation through the lens of who God is, what He has done, and His promises invariably shrink the problem. God is so much bigger than our circumstances.
Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
1 Timothy 6:15 assures us Jesus is “the blessed and only Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Just two verses, and do you see how our problem is already shrinking compared to God? Then add to that a few of God’s promises, and we’ve got walls in place against even the most anxious thoughts. Yes, I can go on because this is who my God is, and this is what He’s done, and this is what He’s promised. And the Lord, my God, is faithful.
But there’s a second step. To experience the strength of the Lord we can’t stop at remembering. Next, we need to surrender.
Surrender to the Lord Your God
Nine times out of ten, my distress over a particular situation is due to control. I’m suddenly afraid something isn’t going to turn out the way I want, and so I’m anxious and scared and ready to rip into the next person who screams, “mom.” (Just keepin’ it real.) But the reality is this: whatever plan I had in mind may not be God’s plan. And my job as a disciple of Christ is to follow God wherever He leads.
Listen: Surrender ignites peace, while control builds anxiety. Our King is good and loving and kind and trustworthy. There is no one better to surrender a situation to than Him. But here’s the problem: It’s tough to surrender if you don’t first remember. And half the time, we’re so clouded with anxiety we aren’t willing to stop and remember, so we never actually surrender.
Our goal with every unknown outcome is to echo Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane. “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). Followed by the prayer of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12, Father God: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Yes, if you are wondering, that is one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture. It’s just so real and raw and right on. Lord, I don’t know what to do, but you are God, and I am not; therefore, I surrender.
But we can’t stop at surrender either. To experience God’s strength as He intends, it’s necessary to follow surrender with worship.
Worship the Lord Your God
Do you know what trust looks like? It looks like worshiping God amid uncertainty. It looks like raising a hallelujah even when we don’t know how life will turn out because God is good despite our struggles. Friends, worship is our rescue. Not only is it the evident outpouring of a heart fixed on God, but something changes inside of us when we choose worship over worry.
Raising hands of praise to the Lord in seasons of uncertainty silences the enemy and ushers in victory. Aligning our heart with what’s real and right, worship keeps us focused on the sovereign and holy God who will never forsake us and always does what’s best for us.
To experience the magnitude of God’s strengthening worship is non-negotiable. If you want to make a statement that truly makes a difference, if you want to squash fear and put a stop to anxiety—then worship the Lord with all your heart while you wait for His deliverance.
Remember, surrender, and worship—that’s what we do to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. Do you remember in elementary school how they taught us to stop, drop, and roll if we ever found ourselves in a fire? Well, I see “remember, surrender, and worship” as the spiritual equivalent to stop, drop, and roll.
There’s no doubt we need to be ready, or trials and tribulations will catch us off guard. But if we can train ourselves to remember, surrender, and worship at the first sign of unmet expectations or overwhelming circumstances or hard-to-swallow difficulties, we’ll be better prepared.
For “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1).
We are not alone in our struggles. We can cling to the Lord just as we have done to this day by remembering whom we have believed in, surrendering to His far better and perfect will, and worshiping Him while we wait.
Dear beloved of God—remember, surrender, and worship the King, and you will know the strength of the Lord.
