Police chaplain Dick Johnson recalls a night when he was doing his regular radio show on a station in Okinawa, Japan. He was playing Christian music and speaking words of encouragement, when the phone rang and a listener shared, “My life is being drained with difficult experiences, and my strength is gone. The comments you made and the music that followed led me to call and ask for help.”

Dick says he doesn’t remember the music he played that night, but he does remember that he shared scripture verses from 2 Timothy 4, written when the author, the Apostle Paul, was near the end of his life.  In his deep need, Paul said, “The Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” Dick pointed out, “What God did for Paul, He can certainly do for you.”[1]

Perhaps this devotional has come to you at a time when you too feel you’re at the end of your resources. You feel drained and without the strength you need to cope. As God did for Paul, be assured He will stand with you and strengthen you.  When Daniel, the Old Testament prophet famous for surviving the lion’s den, was about to faint, he tells us, “Then the one with human likeness touched me again and strengthened me” (Daniel 10:18). Isaiah wrote that God “gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless (Isaiah 40:29).  Chaplain Johnson adds from his own experience, “For me, I have found comfort and ability to go on from these words from Ephesians: ‘Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength'” (Ephesians 6.10).

So, whatever you might be dealing with these days, remember God’s presence is with you. Call on Him to give you the strength you need for today’s demands.

[1] Chaplain Richard Johnson, from his blog Shield of Faith, www.anchor4today.com, November 14, 2019.