The weaker we are, the more we fail. All around us we see the survival of the fittest and extinction of the rest. Look to those who couldn’t survive – what messed them up? The simplest reason is that they were weak at least at some particular moment in their life. They did not apply what they learned through experience. They did not gain anything from the treasures that were laid before them. They were ready to eat only if they were spoon fed. They were ready to fight only if they were surrounded and supported by strong and capable ones. Is that what God desires of us? The Word of God is very clear in Isaiah 40:31-
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up………..not be weary……….. and not faint. ”
God, our Heavenly Father is more than an earthly father. He never wants to see His own children weak and weary, struggling to stand up when confronted by an enemy. Enemies may be strong but God wants His children to be the strongest. Each time we gain victory over Satan and his attacks, it is a sure sign that we have learned from Him and His Name is glorified. Heaven rejoices with us. Don’t we have such experiences and have we not rejoiced in defeating Satan? Glory be to God. But never think it was the end. Accepting failure is not in Satan’s character and for sure he is going to come with new schemes and with more aggression. Are we ready for another attack? Are we fit? Are our spiritual muscles stronger than before? There are many who just barely exist – living with a thought that they too are Christians and are better than others. As you read this devotion let me ask you something from my heart – Do you belong to that category of “Christians” … just for name sake?
The heart of a Father is broken when he sees his children being defeated. It is not that we did not get time to learn anything from Him. He being a loving and caring Father always gives us all what we needed even before we ask for it (Mathew 6:8 & 30). When we fail each time, it is a failure of our Father too. It is because we did not listen to Him. Jeremiah 13:17 says – But if we will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places … and mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears , because the LORD”S flock is carried away. These are the words from the broken heart of Lord Himself, spoken through Prophet Jeremiah, seeing the failure and the wretched condition of His children.
God wants us to be strong, all week. Satan wants us to be weak, all week. These are the two calendars in front of us and which one do we choose to follow?
Psalms 46:1 says – God is our refuge and strength… God is Almighty without a doubt. He just needs to be my refuge when I am in trouble. Is that not enough? I just need to be in His shadows when facing the enemy. He is not just our refuge but our strength too. He is not just ‘My Refuge, but ‘My Strength too’. In our humility we may say we need not be strong anymore since God is strong. That is very much true but I believe that it is just the beginning. Don’t we have “miles to go before we sleep”? How many of us like to live just by drinking milk and never go for something hard which is chewed and enjoyed as we eat? (1 Corinthians 3:2). That does not mean living on our own. Each time we go to Him and learn from Him we become stronger and if we miss such an opportunity we become weak. So we can never think of staying apart from Him if we have to be strong.
‘He is my Strength’ means he wants to replace my weakness with His strength. But of course, he will not make us Almighty. Only He, God can be Almighty. But He can make us stronger and stronger when we use the strength He gives us.
God is my Refuge. The word ‘refuge’ means – a place which gives protection or shelter from danger, trouble, unhappiness etc. That is what God is for us. But it is interesting to note that refugee camps are not a place to live for ever. A refugee has to learn and plan within limited period of time to take steps ahead and out of the refugee camp. Jesus Himself says in John 17:11 – But they are in the world. Till we are with Him in eternity, we are supposed to be in this world where Satan, the adversary, is like a roaring lion seeking to devour whoever he can. Each time we find refuge in Him, we should prepare for life in this world with renewed strength or else even survival will be difficult.
I have seen how cats train their kittens to hunt for rats. The mother cat brings a live rat but with little strength, to the kittens. They start attacking the rat as if they are killing a fully live one. They kill and feed on it. Next time they get a livelier one from the mother, this time they have to struggle a bit more but succeed. This process goes on and on till they can hunt by themselves. The aim of the mother cat is to make them stronger day by day.
In fact when we face an attack from the enemy we are attacking the one who has been attacked already and his head has been crushed by our Lord (Genesis 3:15). He is no more as strong and fully alive as he was before. The final blow upon Satan is yet to come (Revelation 20:7). The Lord wants us to grow stronger by then for the final act. The Lord Himself will strike the final blow and defeat Satan, but by then He, our Lord and our Creator, wants to see us in our original strength and glorious position at the time of creation.
Do you find a refuge in the Lord? Learn from Him and be strong in the Lord each day of your life.
God is our refuge and He is our strength.
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