Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing His Strength Is Perfect ... poignantly singing of how God gives us His amazing/empowering grace to help us “hang in there” when we don’t feel strong enough to persevere.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] ... 10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, … I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
… God’s promise to His people is now extended to the faithful who’ve become faithful followers of The Messiah.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 41:8-13 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God’s promise to the Israelites, thru Isaiah, that He, the Lord God, would always be there for the remnant of believers who remain faithful to Him.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NKJV] ... 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
… Jesus offers to help us “hang in there” with our yoke of faith firmly affixed to our Lord.
Reference Passage : … 2Corinthians 12:9 [NKJV] ... 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
… Paul learned thru trusting in Jesus, in spite of trial and weakness, that God’s empowering grace would allow him to “hang in there” thru the trials/troubles.
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5b [NKJV] ... 5 … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
… God’s promises, thru the Author of Hebrews (the Holy Spirit) to never leave us of forsake us.
Reference Passage : … James 5:10-11a [NKJV] ... 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. …
… God’s promise, thru James, to bless those who “hang in there,” i.e., to endure suffering with patience.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, uses a common social phrase, “hang in there,” to illustrate the perseverance we need to sustain our faith, especially when we feel weak or not up to what lies ahead. … The ODB author wrote: My father-in-law turned seventy-eight recently, and during our family gathering to honor him, someone asked him, “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your life so far?” His answer? “Hang in there.” [see photo]
“Hang in there.” It might be tempting to dismiss those words as simplistic. But my father-in-law wasn’t promoting blind optimism or positive thinking. He’s endured tough things in his nearly eight decades. His determination to press on wasn’t grounded in some vague hope that things might get better, but in Christ’s work in his life.
My readers, along with myself, have probably been encouraged to “hang in there,” … encouraged by others, … especially when we’re feeling weak or not up to some challenging task ahead of us. Perhaps we’re facing severe pain, like Paul was in 2Cor. 12:9. Or maybe we see some daunting oppression in life, as did the Israelites when Isaiah prophesied to God’s people that He, THE LORD, would ALWAYS be there to give them the strength (see Is. 41:10, or in the NT in James 5:10-11).
The question from my encounter with the reality of my weakness and God’s strength is whether I believe what Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the linked song … to “hang in there,” relying on God’s strength to lift me up when I don’t have the strength to persevere. And in that regard, I pray I (we) do today.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for being our hiding place when we need Your protection.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to rest in the cover and protective grace of our Rock of Ages. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>
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