Dear Congregation,
May’s watchword comes from Philippians 4:13, where Paul says: “I can do all things through Him, who strengthens me.”
In case you were thinking that Paul is a megalomaniac with a bloated sense of ability…..: Paul is here referring to the tasks which he has been given by Christ to fulfill. He is called to preach the gospel “in all the world”. In the days of Paul a great challenge indeed, traveling by foot from town to town, exposed to criminal elements, the weather extremes and other random experiences of all kinds, including jail, beatings and rejection.
But this is most certainly true: God was not asking Paul to do more, than what He had equipped him with. And Paul knew that with God’s help, he would be able to face the challenge.
The Psalmist some 1000 years earlier expressed similar thoughts in
Psalm 18: “ You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” He too knew about God’s strength enabling him to do what he could not do in his own strength.
Perhaps we can draw encouragement from these believers in our own life’s situation. Sooner or later, we too will have the experience of being overwhelmed by a challenge before us, the demands of a given situation. We may feel inadequate, lacking in strength or ability. And yet… God perhaps allowed us to get into precisely such a situation to teach us, that there is more to it than strength and ability! It however requires certain humility to see and acknowledge my own limitations, and then some courage to ask God for help and strength. But when we do, then will find God’s strength at work in our lives and find ourselves echoing the words of Paul and the psalmist.
Kind regards, Pastor Peter
