There are two types of strength – physical and spiritual. You can be exhausted physically until you have no strength left in you. It is also possible to be exhausted spiritually until you are burned out. However, there are some people who are just weak -and that applies to both spiritual and physical strength. Whichever the case might be, there is good news for you because God can give you strength.
How Can God Give You Strength?
The Bible teaches that God can give you physical strength when you grow weary. It also demonstrates that God can send his strength to help you when you’re in dire need. At the same time, God can send you spiritual strength to help you contend in the spiritual realm.
Physical Strength for the Weary
God can give physical strength to the weary. It is human to get physically exhausted due to hard work. It is also possible to suffer physical exhaustion due to mental and emotional strain. Thankfully, God can come through for you in such a scenario to strengthen you.
A good example of this is the prophet Elijah. He was completely burned out and ready to call it quits. He ran to the wilderness to wait for this painful and slow death. But while at his lowest moment, God sent an angel to minister strength to him. The angel woke up Elijah and presented a hot meal that he had cooked while Eljad slept. Elijah ate heartily and went right back to sleep. When he woke up, a new meal had been prepared again. And this time, he was physically nourished and as the Bible records, he went in the strength of that food for 40 days and 40 nights (1 Kings 19:8).
This is not the only time angels ministered strength in the Bible. Another prolific example is when angels visited Jesus after he had been on a 40-day fast in the wilderness. After his fast, the devil came to tempt him which left him not only physically but also spiritually exhausted. However, the Bible records that the angels came to minister to him (Matthew 4:11). The same way that God sent his angels to minister to Elijah and Jesus is the same way he would like to strengthen his children when they are in need. Prophet Isiah put it this way;
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29
This is an awesome scripture for anyone who may be feeling weary – God is not only able but also willing to increase your strength and power.
Spiritual Strength for Spiritual Warfare
Apart from physical strength, God also gives spiritual strength. In the book of Ephesians, Paul exhorts the church to be strong in order to be able to stand in spiritual warfare.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10
Just like physical war requires physical energy, spiritual warfare also requires spiritual energy. While you may get physical energy from food and physical muscles, you must rely totally on God’s help for you to attain spiritual energy. This is what the Bible meant in the following verse;
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Cor. 10:3-4
It is possible to have strong faith and it is also possible to have weak faith. Weak faith will not yield spiritual results. A good illustration is when the disciples were unable to drive out evil spirits from a boy. After Jesus came and found them unable to conduct the deliverance, he delivered the boy and then later explained to his disciples that such deliverance requires prayer and fasting (which helps to strengthen one’s faith). (Matthew 17:20-21).
Another example is given in the Book of Acts. After observing Paul casting out demons, the seven sons of Sceva decided to give it a try. They figured all they needed to do was to tell the demons what they heard Paul tell them. Unbeknownst to them, Paul was not relying on human wisdom but on spiritual strength which they lacked. Before they knew it, the possessed man jumped them, gave them a thrashing and they ended up fleeing the scene without their clothes. (Acts 19:11-20). This example demonstrates how spiritual battles cannot be fought with physical strength.
Strength as Help
In Pslams 46:1, God introduces himself as an ever-present help in times of trouble. He also describes himself in the same verse as our refuge and strength. This means that God can send help in the form of his strength. When he sends his strength, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he will give you strength. It may mean that he comes to fight the battle on your behalf. This is why God reminded Israel that he was a man of war.
The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Exodus 15:3
When God comes as a man of war, you can be sure he will win any battle that you might have been undergoing. The Bible has many examples of God revealing his strength and fighting on behalf of his people. A good example is the conquest of Jericho. Jericho was considered an impregnable city and there was no way Israel could overthrow it. But God gave them a divine strategy that unleased His strength which resulted in the walls of Jericho tumbling down.
Another good example is when King Asa was faced with a seemingly impossible battle. The king of Ethiopia had come against him with an army of millions of men. King Asa knew that unless with divine international, he didn’t stand a chance in the battle. So he prayed to the God of his fathers and asked for help.
And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name, we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (2 Chronicles 14:11)
God heard King Asa and sent his strength as help. In the words of Scripture, “The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah and the Cushites fled ( 2 Chronicles 14:12). This demonstrates that when you seek God’s help, he will often send his strength to help you.
Conclusion
As we have seen, the strength of God can be either physical or spiritual. Whether you are physically or spiritually exhausted, ask him for strength. May God give you strength, Amen!
