God is my Strength

By: Julie Maschhoff

Thursday, July 2, 2026

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy and with my song I praise Him. Psalm 28:7

Have you ever felt weak? Patients can feel weak after surgery, and they often need physical therapy or rehab to regain their strength. We've probably all felt emotionally weak, especially when something sad or tragic happened. I remember feeling mentally weak right after I finished some of my college exams.

We experience weakness in many ways, but the worst type of weakness we face is spiritual. Judges 13-16 describes a bible hero named Samson and his spiritual struggles. Samson was born into a God-fearing family, and he was dedicated to the Lord's service at a very young age. But everything changed when he started following his heart instead of God's instructions. His unequally yoked marriage to a Philistine woman named Delilah was the start of his downfall and the beginning of his spiritual weakness.

Samson's spiritual weakness led to physical weakness, blindness, and humiliation. But after Samson hit "rock bottom", he cried out to the Lord for help. God answered, and He gave Samson his physical strength back so he could vanquish his Philistine enemies. But think how different Samson's life would have been if he would have remained spiritually strong the entire time.

An important part of being a Christ follower is staying spiritually strong. How do we do that? By surrendering our will to God and obeying His commands. At times, we all feel physically, mentally, and emotionally weak. That's why staying spiritually strong is so important. If you're feeling weak in any of those areas, lean on God and ask Him to keep you spiritually strong. Saying a prayer and asking God for spiritual strength is a great way to put your faith into action!

Our opening verse from Psalms says that God is our strength and our shield. It also says we must trust Him in every situation. Relying on and trusting in God will give us His strength! That doesn't mean He'll remove all our problems, it means He'll be there to strengthen us and guide us through them. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we'll have someone in the fire with us that will protect us!

Lord, thank you for strengthening me and for allowing me to bring you my concerns. I know I can trust in your protection, and I know you'll make me strong when I'm feeling weak!