Be Strong in the Lord

SCRIPTURE READING: 2Chronicles 14

Be Strong in the Lord

Text: 2Chronicles 15:7

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” These are the Words that the Lord delivered to King Asa, through Azariah the prophet. We all face difficulties in life. And we all need to depend upon God for our daily needs. However, it seems that, from time to time, we are compelled to set everything else aside, and lean completely and totally on the Strength of the Lord God.

Kings of Judah Who were Strong in the Lord

There is no situation that you and I might face that can be considered any more dire, difficult, or dangerous, than the situations confronting the people of God that we have just examined. I also want to point out that in the first example (King Asa), the Lord used the army of Asa to defeat a mighty enemy. In the second example (King Jehoshaphat), we can see that Jehoshaphat had a mighty army, but the Lord only used them to carry away the spoil of the enemy that He had already destroyed. In the last example (King Hezekiah), we notice that there was not an army of the People of Judah at all – at least not to speak of. In this last example, the Lord proves that He does not need men at all in order to accomplish His Will, and in order to defeat any enemy. As the Children of Judah become more and more wicked; and as they become more and more worldly; and as they rely more and more on themselves; the Lord gives them a Witness and a Testimony that emphasizes, more and more the Sovereignty of God, and the Strength that lies in Him – and emphasizes less and less, the Abilities and Strengths of man. 2Chron. 14:9-15; 2Chron. 20; 2Chron. 32; 2Kings 19:35; Heb. 11:33-34

God’s Strength is Our Strength (Or, God is our Strength)

Isn’t it an Amazing thing to realize that the Strength of God that we have at our disposal today, is the same Strength that Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah depended on? We will never get to the place, or come to the point, where the situation that we face exceeds the Strength of God. However, so much of life that we face, does exceed our own Strength or Ability. All of us who are born into this world are born frail and weak. Truly, it takes very little adversity, difficulty, or durability to exceed the limits of our own Strengths. When man is demeaned and his strength is lessened, than God is Exalted and His Strength is Magnified. hough we do not have an OT prophet of the Lord to speak to us, we do have the Word of God, and the Presence of the Spirit of God. In fact, as the Lord Jesus Christ has said unto us, we have the Spirit of our Saviour to Comfort us and Strengthen us. Isa. 41:10; Mt. 26:41; 2Cor. 12:9-10; Rom. 9:17; 2Kings 18:33-35; Jn. 14:15-18; Eph. 4:14-21

Conclusion

The Strength that comes from the Lord, is not the same strength that men and women seek in this world. In this world, some seek after physical Strength, and they seek it through fitness and physical exercise. Some seek mental Strength, and they seek it through learning and mental exercise. Some seek after worldly acclaim, and seek to have Strength with men. But, to Be Strong in the Lord, is to have so much more. To Be Strong in the Lord, is to have Him and His Strength at your disposal. In the Strength of the Lord, we can, Live, Suffer, Rejoice, and even Die without faltering. This is the Strength that I desire, and I hope that this is the Strength that you desire. 2Chron. 14:11; 2Chron. 20:12;  2Chron. 32:7-8; Isa. 40:29-31