1 Chronicles 16:11
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Devotional Thoughts
By David Wilkerson
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on 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” (Isaiah 40:28-31).
These are powerful words from the prophet Isaiah. Right now the world seems to be shaking and the people of God need to know how to maintain their strength in the midst of it all. Drawing near to God in times of crisis is necessary in order to sustain stability and effectiveness.
The psalmist David says, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psalm 31:19-20).
This is profound! David is telling us, in essence: “All true strength comes from drawing near to the Lord. Indeed, the measure of our strength is proportionate to our nearness to him.” Simply put, the closer we are to Jesus, the stronger we are going to be. In fact, all the strength we are ever going to need will come through our secret life of prayer.
The enemy of your soul wants you drained of all strength and he will use anything he can, even “good” things, to keep you from spending time alone with Jesus. He knows your time with the Savior enables you to endure fear and anxiety, even in this worrisome season. We are facing difficult times and are headed for incredible changes.
Each one of us must ask, “How near am I to Jesus in this hour?” Spend time alone with him daily and seek his face in prayer. He promises to hear your every cry and meet your every need.