Know Strength Know Peace
Psalter Psaturday #136
Psalm 29:11 The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.
Weak and Anxious-You can probably relate to these two words. They often go together. We know that unrest, fear, and anxiety can be debilitating. They sap your strength, demotivate, and discourage you. Weakness makes us fearful and anxious. Anxiety can be paralyzing, but the psalmist gives us these promises of God, which remind us that weakness and unrest can be chronic conditions among his people. We are in Christ but battle emotions that grow out of our sinful nature. The Lord knows we are helpless and fearful. Much Scripture is given to communicating God's promises of care, protection, and the blessings of his perfect will for us. Even so, we need constant renewal in strength and peace.
Strong and at Peace—How do strong believers use God’s strength? We are not talking about Samson's strength. Physical power is useless when we need emotional, spiritual, and intellectual strength.
When we are under duress, we need emotional strength. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. We are commanded to control ourselves. When we exercise self-control, we sin less, treat others better, glorify God, and don't make our situation worse by acting selfishly. We need our strength from the Lord to be emotionally strong.
We need spiritual strength to focus on prayer, Scripture, and Christ as our guide. We need directives and the strength to stay within them.
We need intellectual strength to make good, objective, and biblical choices and not allow ourselves to be influenced by worldly values.
What does it look like when believers are at peace? Peace makes us less vulnerable, encourages us to rest in the Lord, and helps us trust him more. Peace does not come naturally to us; it is given to us by the Lord.
Gives and Blesses—We cannot earn or develop strength and peace on our own, not to the degree we need to thrive as believers. God gives and blesses us. He equips us to endure, grow, and be faithful to him.
His people - Who receives these incredible tools? God supports, rewards, and blesses his people. The redeemed are his people, those who trust him wholly, sacrifice their place on the throne of their heart for Christ, and commit their lives to holiness and obedience. God's promises are real. We can rely on them for strength and peace when we need them most.
Meditation Point
How can you stop relying on your strength and peace and accept what you really need from God?