This is our last devotional before we leave for Uganda. I pray that God has prepared all of us for this trip.
John 4:31-34
Meanwhile
the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I
have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one
another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My
food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (ESV)
Psalm 28:7
The
Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my
heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. (ESV)
Isaiah 40:31
But
they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not
faint. (ESV)
Nehemiah 8:10
For
the joy of The Lord is your strength. (ESV)
There are lots of reasons why I love
the story of the woman at the well.
Perhaps not the main reason, but certainly one of the reasons is the
part of the story listed above. At the
beginning of John chapter 4 we find Jesus sitting at the well..."wearied
as he was from his journey." As was
often the case whenever Jesus found himself tired and weary, it was precisely
at that time that a ministry opportunity presented itself. Jesus could have ignored this woman
completely. It would have been
culturally acceptable to do so. He could
have asked her for a drink and not taken the situation any further. Instead, he took the time to engage her with
the truth of God’s word.
It was at that time that Jesus found
strength from above. He called it food. Regardless of what you call it Jesus was
empowered to meet the needs of the moment despite his own obvious physical need
for rest and nourishment. This is not to
say that there were not times when Jesus rightfully took care of his physical
needs. Jesus often slipped away to a
remote location to rest, pray, and renew his spirit. However, when there was ministry to be
performed, God the Father, through the power of God the Holy Spirit, always
enabled him to carry on to meet the need.
If you have ever been on a mission trip
before, you know that they can be exhausting, but you also know that it is some
of the most satisfying tiredness you can possibly experience. You probably also found that it brought you
great joy. Jesus is not unique in his
supernaturally imparted strength.
Scripture is filled with many references to the fact that God will
strengthen us. Indeed, God always gives
us the grace we need to do what he expects us to do. If we try to do it in our own strength, we
will most certainly be stressed out, perhaps get depressed, and may even
fail. However, if we wait upon The Lord,
depending upon him for our strength, we will just as certainly prevail. Will we be tired? I think if Jesus got "wearied" then
we can probably expect that we will get tired as well. However, we can rest assured in the fact that
we can have the spiritual food that will sustain us until the work is complete.
In your quiet time, contemplate on what
it means to wait upon The Lord - to depend wholly and completely on him for
your strength and your power to accomplish what he wills on this trip. Acknowledge that God is the source of your
strength. Thank him for that and pray
that he will fill you with his joy and his strength so that you will persevere
while you are in Uganda.
Father, thank you for being the source
of my strength. Forgive me for the times I try to serve you in my strength
instead of relying on your strength.
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