Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10). With these words Paul begins the passage on the armour of God. He does not say “be strong in yourselves”, but “be strong in the Lord”. The difference is enormous. We live in a culture that asks us to be strong, self-sufficient and never to show weakness. The Bible offers another way: to acknowledge our frailty and find in God a strength that never runs out. In this article we will look at what it means to be strong in the Lord, how David, Joshua, Gideon and Paul lived it, and how we can renew our strength in him each day.
A strength that does not come from us
Paul uses three different Greek words in this verse for strength: being strengthened, God’s power and God’s might. It is as if he wanted to pile up every possible word to tell us that the source of our strength is God’s immense power, the same power that, as he wrote in the same letter, “he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20). The verb is passive: it is not about manufacturing strength, but about letting ourselves be strengthened. And elsewhere in the same letter Paul prays:
“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.”
Ephesians 3:16-17
Christian strength is above all inner strength: a heart upheld by the Holy Spirit and inhabited by Christ.
David encouraged himself in the Lord his God
One of the darkest moments of David’s life happened at Ziklag. While he and his men were away, the Amalekites raided the town, burned it and carried off their wives and children. David’s men wept until they had no more strength, and in their grief they spoke of stoning him. David was alone, distressed and rejected. Then the Bible says:
“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
1 Samuel 30:6
There was no one to encourage him, so he encouraged himself in God. He sought the Lord, inquired of him and received direction. Then he pursued the Amalekites and recovered everything they had lost. When there is no one beside you, you can still do what David did: turn back to God and find in him the strength to rise again.
Joshua: be strong and of a good courage
When Moses died, Joshua received the enormous task of leading the people into the promised land. It was no small challenge: enemy armies, walled cities and a hard people to lead. God repeated the same command to him three times: “Be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9). But the foundation of that courage was not Joshua’s ability, but God’s presence:
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Joshua 1:9
God also showed him where to find strength: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night” (Joshua 1:8). God’s Word was his food for the battle. Read the story of Joshua.
Gideon: go in this thy might
Gideon was hiding, threshing wheat in a winepress so the Midianites would not steal it, when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” Gideon felt nothing like a mighty man; he replied that his family was the poorest in his tribe and he was the least in his father’s house. But God said to him: “Go in this thy might… have not I sent thee?… Surely I will be with thee” (Judges 6:12-16). Then God reduced his army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred men, so that no one could say the victory was a human achievement. God sees in us what we cannot yet see, and his strength shines precisely in our smallness. Read the story of the Judges.
Not by might, nor by power
When the Jews who had returned from exile were trying to rebuild the temple amid opposition and discouragement, God sent this message to their leader Zerubbabel: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Many of our battles are not won with more human effort, more resources or more strategy, but by depending on God’s Spirit. Read Set apart by the Holy Spirit.
Strength in weakness
The deepest paradox of Christian strength is described by Paul. He asked three times to be freed from his thorn, and God answered: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul concluded: “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Being strong in the Lord does not mean ceasing to be weak, but discovering that our weakness is the space where God shows his power. That is why Paul could truly say:
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Philippians 4:13
That “all things” is not a promise to achieve any ambition, but the assurance that we can face any circumstance, abundance or need, in Christ’s strength. Read Paul’s thorn.
The joy of the Lord is our strength
When Ezra read the law before the people who had returned from Babylon, they wept on realising how far they had been from God. Nehemiah told them: “neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The joy that comes from God —knowing we are forgiven, loved and accompanied— is a source of strength. A heart that is grateful and joyful in God withstands trials better than one ruled by complaint.
How to be strong in the Lord each day
Begin the day with God. Like Joshua, meditate on his Word. A psalm in the morning can sustain you all day. Pray at all times. Paul ends the armour passage with prayer (Ephesians 6:18). Read The duty of prayer. Remember what God has already done. David drew strength from remembering how God had delivered him from the lion and the bear (1 Samuel 17:37). Praise. Praise changes our perspective and fills us with the joy of the Lord. Wait on him. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Seek fellowship. Strength also comes through brothers and sisters who pray for us and encourage us. Rest. God also renews our physical strength through sleep and rest. Read How to pray when we are tired. Put on the armour of God. Truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Word. Read How to resist Satan’s attacks.
Strengthened to strengthen others
The strength God gives us is not only for ourselves. Paul wrote to Timothy: “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). And Jesus told Peter: “when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32). When God strengthens you, you can hold others up: your family, a friend in crisis, your church. As Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms, you too can be someone’s strength today.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1
Samson: a warning about strength
Samson’s story shows the other side of strength. God gave him extraordinary physical strength, but Samson came to rely on it as if it were his own, played with temptation and neglected his consecration. When Delilah cut his hair, he rose thinking, “I will go out as at other times before”, and the Bible adds a sad sentence: “he wist not that the Lord was departed from him” (Judges 16:20). He lost his strength, his sight and his freedom. Yet in prison his hair began to grow again, and at the end he cried out: “O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me” (Judges 16:28). God heard his prayer. The lesson is twofold: strength separated from God is dangerous, and even after a great failure we can cry out for him to strengthen us again.
Prayer
Lord, I have been playing the strong one for a long time. Holding everyone up, with no one holding me; smiling on the outside and empty within. I cannot go on like this, and today I say it to you without a mask: I have no strength. Like David at Ziklag, when everyone wept and even his own turned against him, I have no one else to turn to. I strengthen myself in you, my God. Come, Holy Spirit, and strengthen me with might in my inmost being, where no one’s encouragement reaches. Do not give me the strength of one who needs nobody: give me the strength of one who leans on you. Say to me what you said to Joshua: “I am with thee.” Look at me as you looked at Gideon in hiding, and call me by what you can make of me. Let your joy be my strength, and not my achievements. And when you have lifted me up, teach me to hold up another. In you I trust. Amen.