Strength of Soul

Strength of Soul
Psalm 138:3

“On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased” (Psalms 138:3)

Do you realize that more than God answering your Christmas list of prayer request, what you need above all else is a strength of soul?  You see in spite of what the name it and claim preachers teach, God never promised that the Christian life will be free of difficulties of all kinds.

Therefore in order for your life to bear up under the pressures of this life, you must possess an inner strength that keeps you from falling apart--that enables you to persevere in challenging times.

Where does that inner strength come from? It comes from God Himself as we seek Him in prayer and in the word. More specifically, it comes from knowing the person of God, standing on the promises of God, and living for the purposes of God.

It's important that we understand that God strengthens us inwardly, not simply to keep us from being crushed by the pressures of life, but to live for God's purpose.

And if we are truly living for the purposes of God, there's going to be added obstacles and opposition that Satan wants to use to makes us bitter, but that God uses to make us better--to make us stronger inwardly as we rely more upon Him.

The inner strength that God wants to give us through prayer will lead to actions that Hallow the name of God, and those actions, which will be met with challenges, will also lead us back to prayer.

Martin Luther King was a man of incredible strength of soul. Somewhere I read:

"King’s leadership in the fight for racial justice was more than mere human activism; he understood it to be his destiny that history and God himself had thrust upon him. His actions were an out-pouring out of God’s heart through the life of an individual who was willing to step up and step into the powerful flow of God’s purposes. And that action, which was met with severe disagreement and violent opposition, drove him to sink his roots deeper into the ground of his being which was God himself.

King knew that God and God alone gives us the interior resources to bear the burdens and tribulations of life, especially those that come as we fulfill our call to serve others and to stand for what is right in this world. Had he not known how to move from action back into prayer—how to tap into a deeper Source than mere human activism—we would have lost him to fear and discouragement; the forces of this particular evil would have prevailed, at least for a little while longer. In a sermon entitled “Our God is Able”, King tells a very personal story of how an intimate encounter with God sustained him in the darkest hour of his fight for freedom and equality. When he began receiving death threats just before the Montgomery bus protest, he came to the end of his own inner resources and almost gave into fear. But it was an encounter with God at his kitchen table that empowered him to continue saying yes to his calling. “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced him. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice, saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth.  God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears passed from me.  My uncertainty disappeared.  I was ready to face anything.  The outer situation remained the same, but God had given me inner calm.” [v]

King’s choice to orient himself towards God in the midst of the resistance that his action had stirred up became a pivotal moment in his life as a leader. It solidified his calling, transformed his fear into a deep sense of calm, and gave him the strength to go on.  Were it not for his full engagement in the fight for justice and his grounded-ness in the life of prayer, he might never have had the kind of encounter with God that transformed him in the deepest level of his being.

“Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. 6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. 7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” Psalms 86:4-7

Reverence:

Prayer focus: Praise God for the inner strength that comes from being in communion with Him and living for His purposes.

Father I praise you for the inner strength that comes from knowing your... (grace/love, mercy, presence), which has enabled me...

Father I praise you for the inner strength that comes from knowing that you are with me always, which has enabled me to fulfill my calling as a Pastor.

Response:

Prayer focus: With the Lord's help, identify what is causing distress to your soul, confess it to God and lay it before His throne of grace.

Father, forgive me for making _____________ bigger than you, which brings distress to my soul. I give it to you afresh and with your help I will___________.

Father, forgive me for making my martial struggles bigger than you, which brings weariness to my soul.  I give it to you afresh and with your help I will be the wife/husband that you call me to be.

Father, forgive me for making the approval of others more important than your approval in Christ. I give you my life afresh and with your help I will stand firm knowing that you are with me.

Father, forgive me for allowing busyness, laziness, distractions to keep me from being renewed in prayer and in your word. With your help I will make time to meet with you to strengthen my soul in the knowledge of who you are.    

Request:

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” Ephesians 3:14-16

Prayer focus: We need more than an outward change in our circumstances. We need to be transformed in the deepest level of our being. Seek the Lord to do a deep work in your inner being to be all that God is calling you to be. Be specific.

Father, strengthen me through your Spirit to be more...(patient, kind, compassionate, etc.) in my...

Readiness:

Prayer focus: Seek the Lord for strength of soul to meet a specific challenge ahead of you.

Father, grant me the strength of soul that comes from knowing you when...

Reverence

You are my strength
Strength like no other
Strength like no other
Reaches to me.
In the fullness of you grace
In the power of your name
You lift me up
You lift me up.

William Murphy - You Are My Strength