Ephesians 6:10-20
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” v10 NIV
As we encounter change in our lives. As we wait for God’s direction and action in our lives. We need to maintain a focus on God. We need to focus on being strong in Him. Being strong in His mighty power.
But how do we do that when we feel so weak and ineffectual? There is an answer in 2 Corinthians 12:10. This verse tells us that when we are weak we are strong because of God in our lives. Put another way, we are strong and our focus should be more on that strength. It doesn’t matter where the strength comes from. We are strong when we are in God and His mighty power. Our weakness is transformed into Godly strength by God acting in us.
This strength is one of the biggest changes we make in life. God causes us to change and grow. We go from realising our weakness and total dependence on God to being strong in Him. To realising that we are strong because we are surrendered to God in our lives. That when we let go of our lives and allow Him to intervene, we become strong.
I spent a lot of my life feeling powerless and weak. This was the toll of abuse and bullying in my life. So I arrived in adulthood feeling disempowered. I did not have any power, any sense of strength in my life. I see that same sense of powerlessness in people today. I see it when people become angry and abusive when frustrated. They act out their sense of powerlessness. I see it when people become manipulative and controlling. They try to steal their power from others by controlling the actions of others.
On a larger scale, I see it in societal structures and in Governments, Government departments, businesses, the health system, the education system and so on. Mankind is weak and craves feeling strong. So mankind devises systems to build up system power and then individuals try to climb to the top of those systems.
All this is just chasing the wind. It doesn’t advance us as people and it doesn’t work to give us the strength we crave.
God has gently guided me through change in my life. From the first time I allowed Him into my life at 15, He has led me on a journey of change. I am not completely changed. That completion will not happen until I move from this life into eternal life with Him. But He is transforming me. And one of the biggest transformations for me has been becoming strong. Being strong means I can let go of situations and allow God to work in them. Being strong means I can forgive others (I am still working on that one – my sense of strength is still a work in progress!). Being strong means I can step out in faith to do the things God has asked me to do. Being strong means I do not have to hold tight to me but can instead give my self to God for His purposes. Being strong means I can confidently hold on to my faith, even when others challenge it. I haven’t come into full strength yet, that transformation is continuing, but I am strong enough to wait in the darkness for change to come.
 

Psalm 35 continued.
“My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.” v28 NIV
I am finishing off the three blogs on Psalm 35 with the final verse.
One of the most important things to do when life seems too busy to stop, is to stop. To stop and sit with God’s creation. To sit and just be. As I sit, I am reminded that I am waiting in the darkness, without fear, without any agenda. Just sitting in the peace of God. This is what drew Jesus to the remote places to pray with God. To a place where He could just be. God does not ask us to enter His presence and do things. He would prefer us to enter his presence and just be.
As I sat in the presence of God I understood that ultimately, our journey with Jesus is about His righteousness as we wait, and as we change. We are never alone as we wait in the darkness or as we go through periods of change. We are never alone when our path seems blocked and we are forced to change plans and go another way. Jesus is always with us. There are others in our lives who may gloat over our apparent lack of progress, or even difficulties. But these people are not God’s people. God will deal with them in His time. In the meantime, we have a cheer squad delighting to see our progress and eager to support us and give all the glory to God. They may be friends or family, or they may be angels. But there will be a cheer squad somewhere. And there will be God, who delights in your progress. And that is something to praise God for all day long.
 

Psalm 35 continued.
“… Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” V10 NIV.
I have been away travelling to conferences and visiting loved ones for three weeks now. Finally I have arrived home and been able to pack the suitcases away. I am mentally and physically weary. My mind is churning in an effort to absorb all the things I have learned over the past three weeks. God has shown me so much. I don’t want to forget any of that learning. So I have been trying to process everything and act on what I have learned and find the way forward. And that has been keeping me up at night. Added to that, I am trying to arrange for my oldest daughter to find a trainer for her soon to be delivered assistance pup. One trainer let me down at the last minute and I have been spending so much time in prayer that the new trainer I have applied to will accept her. Through all this my mind has been racing. I have been dreading bedtime because I know I will lie awake worrying and trying to process things. Finally God told me to be still and trust. In other words – WAIT patiently. Not something I am very good at.
In all this, the above verse from Psalm 35 stood out for me. God rescues us from those too strong for us. I don’t have to clutch tightly to learnings and insights. God will give me what I need, when I need it. If something I have learned is for me to do or change into, then God will ensure I remember it. And the trainer, well God has a plan there as well. As scary as the uncertainty of taking ownership in two weeks of a pup with no promised trainer is, God has a plan and it will all work out perfectly according to His plan.
God is in control and He will rescue us from those too strong for us and those who rob us. I have to work on being patient, letting go and trusting God. Every time I think I have learned that lesson well, I find I have only learned part of it and there is more to learn. But God is in control and He will rescue us.
As I meditated on this last night, instead of worrying, I felt a great peace come over me. The peace that God promises to those who trust in Him.
I will wait for that peace, in the darkness. And I will wait without fear. So much of our journey with Jesus is about learning to wait in the darkness, with patience, without fear and with trust.