Strength For This Season

As I look back on the COVID-19 period, I know it was only through the strength and grace of God that we made it through. There were days when we were not sure what would happen next. We could not see the end of the crisis, but somehow God gave us what we needed to face one day after another.

His strength did not always arrive in a dramatic way. Sometimes it was enough grace to get up that morning, pray for our families, and continue with the responsibilities before us. Sometimes it was the quiet assurance that although we did not know what tomorrow held, God was already there.

As a family, we found different ways to spend time together during isolation. We fixed up our home and property, added activities, and called it Camp Getaway. It became a safe place where our family could come together, enjoy one another, and remember that joy was still possible.

Online sermons and worship brought God’s Word into our homes and gave me encouragement. Buildings were closed, but God’s voice was not silenced. Messages, prayers, calls, and family moments became sustaining grace. At the time, we tried to make it through; now I see God was carrying us.

Paul understood abundance and need, yet he said, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Contentment did not mean Paul enjoyed hardship. His confidence in Christ was not determined by circumstances. They changed, but the source of his strength remained.

That is the setting for his familiar declaration, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Paul was not promising that believers could accomplish anything they imagined. He was testifying that Christ would give him strength to remain faithful through whatever season he faced.

During COVID-19, God’s strength did not mean we never felt afraid, tired, or uncertain. It meant fear did not have the final word. We continued praying, believing, worshiping, finding ways to be together, and taking the next step because His grace kept meeting us there.

Perhaps you are in a season asking more of you than you believe you have to give. You may not see how everything will work out. Do not measure God’s ability by the strength you feel today. The grace that brought you this far is still available for the next step.

As the this week comes to an end, pause and look back. Where did God strengthen you? Was it through Scripture, a sermon, time with family, unexpected provision, or a quiet moment of peace? What felt ordinary may have been God’s extraordinary grace holding you together.

Sometimes we do not recognize God’s sustaining strength until we look back and realize that His grace carried us through what we thought would overcome us. God often delivers that strength through other people. Tomorrow, we will gather the final pearl from Philippians 4 and consider how our generosity can become part of His provision for someone else.

Pearl's Prayer:

Lord, when we look back, us can see that Your strength and grace carried us. Thank You for every sermon, prayer, family moment, person, and promise You used to sustain us. When we cannot see what lies ahead, help us trust that You will provide what we need. Strengthen us to remain faithful, one day at a time. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

I Am The Vessel, God Is The Grace