There IS strength in weakness

The past 18 hours has been very foggy. I received an email from a good friend of mine that rendered me speechless. I'm talking deer in headlights, I had to remind myself to breathe,  and time went slow. I went into battle mode. I started praying. It's very hard, as a Christian, to pray God's will when you know it might not be what you want. I spent the evening in a blank state of silence. Which is NOT normal for me. 

I wanted answers. I didn't understand why this was happening to people I cared for. I started looking up scriptures to help me encourage them to have strength and I was stopped by one specific one. 

Psalm 119:28

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

The author of Psalm is David. King David. "Only a boy named David." David, the little boy who stood before Goliath when no one else could. We've all heard the story of this little boy who stood up to this warrior and totally threw down. I mean listen to this graphic detail of David's mic drop moment. 

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.

1 Samuel 17:45-47

Talk about a boss right there. He showed strength, boldness, and his unwavering faith. We read in Psalm about this same boys struggle, pain, and his battles. The boy who stood in front of a giant and told him that he was gonna cut his head off is the same man who wrote Psalm 119:28. 

I'm a full believer in fighting spiritual warfare with scripture. For me to see David say, strengthen me according to your word. It gives me hope. This strong man of God experienced warfare, just like me and you. I don't know what it is you are facing. I don't know what decisions that you are having to make. I don't know your circumstance. BUT I know this.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Can I tell you that it's going to be easy? No. 

Can I tell you that pain is part of the process? Yes. 

Can I tell you that we will have all the answers? No. 

Can I tell you that God has a plan? Yes.  

David showed great strength in Psalm 119. He was burdened with sorrow and he needed strength. He asked for it. There is no shame in telling God you are weak and you need help.  He would rather you did that so He could help you. Everything within me wants to tell you that it's going to be okay. This too shall pass. The storm is terrible while you are in it. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. But I also know that in the middle of what you are facing, you see nothing but bad. You don't want to hear those things. You are angry. You want to yell at God and ask Him why you, why now, why this? 

I can only point you to David and tell you that, when David was weak God was strong. In the moments of my own weakness, God has been my strength. It has been 7 years since I watched my father take his last breath. In that moment, I was overwhelmed with confusion, anger, and oddly enough peace. Looking back, I thank God for that moment I experienced with my Step Mother and my half sisters. It took years, but it was part of God's plan. 

Hold your head up. Go through the process. And pray, pray, pray!!