Where Did My Strength Go?

“Like David, we can find strength not in ourselves, but in the One who walks beside us, the One who gives us victory.”

The other day, my wife Dee and I were in a big hurry to leave the house. Dee couldn’t find her phone so she asked me to dial her number. We looked everywhere as it rang and rang. Finally, I opened the refrigerator and there it was. She had accidentally left her phone on the refrigerator shelf.

Sometimes life is like that. After enduring so much turmoil in the past few years, most of us have experienced an overwhelming sense of loss. Our strength and joy slipped away, and we aren’t sure how or if we will ever find it again.

In 2 Samuel, David becomes king, but it was a long and difficult path to the throne. On the way, he lost his best friend and his sense of safety. David no longer basked in that thrilling victory over Goliath. He was worn from years on the run, the constant vigilance needed to evade his enemies. And even as a king, he was confronted by his own sinfulness. Where had David’s strength gone?

One of the things I love about David is how he turns to God in his times of weakness and need. The psalms record David’s cries to God: cries for help and comfort, cries of confession. David admitted when he sinned (Psalm 32). David knew his strength came not from himself, but from God.

In 2 Samuel 22:33, David declares, “It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” In Psalm 21:1, David repeats this theme, “The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give!”

Like David, we can find strength not in ourselves, but in the One who walks beside us, the One who gives us victory. If you are feeling a little bit weak today, if you feel like you have lost your sense of strength and joy, I want to point you to grace, God’s unmerited, undeserved favor. Grace is based on God’s character and not your own. You can’t buy it or earn it or deserve it. It is embedded in the character of God.

Like David, we did not earn grace. We all sinned and deserve God’s punishment, but it is withheld. Grace toward us comes out of the heart of God because He loves us. Feeling weak? Find your strength and joy in Him today.