A few nights ago, I was about to put my head on the pillow to go to sleep and God spoke,  “I have made you strong.”

I was very tired after a long day. I felt bone weary and was looking forward to going to sleep. I knew that in 7 hours the alarm would go off for my husband to go to work, and I would be awake, dressed, getting him a cuppa, preparing his lunch and ready to start the day. It is also, at this time of the morning, that I have my time with God.

Now, if I were asking God a question about the subject of strength, I would question my own hearing, so my Father often catches me by surprise when He needs to say something important.

The words came strong enough for me to know that the thoughts were not mine, my spirit quickened and I was instantly wide awake.

“I have made you strong.”

“What!!!!????”

Silence.

“What do you mean, Father?”

Silence. I felt His love for me, but He had nothing more to say.

Mmmm…okay. I shook my head and waited, thoughts swirling through my head. So, I do what I always do when I don’t understand. I prayed.

“Father, I know you have brought me to this point and I know that you have done this. You never say anything to me unless you need me to know more, or to understand something that I don’t understand. So, Father, I will wait. Thank you for these words…”

My heart trailed off into thoughts, a touch excited. I love my Father speaking to me. I love to hear His voice.

As I drifted off to sleep, I was trying to work out whether He said, “I have made you strong” or “I have made you strong” or “I have made you strong” or “I have made you strong”. I finally figured out that He didn’t emphasis any of it, because all of it was God anyway!!

The next morning, I poured over scripture, but mainly the one that popped into my head as I drifted off to sleep the night before. Isaiah 9. And it was verse 7 (the end of verse 7) that caught my eye.

“… The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

God’s zeal will accomplish this. If I could just get my head around this….

God will do everything in this world, for His kingdom and in our lives. Not because of us, not because of our prayers, and not because I want it. But because He is zealously accomplishing it. (yes, I am pretty sure I am not supposed to use those words like that)

He…God…is zealous in accomplishing what He needs to do. Got it?

Ok, so for me that put a lot of things in perspective and I think I just got a glimpse of the awesomeness of God.

God as made me/you strong, not for our sake, but because He is going to accomplish things in the world that He needs. He will make each one of us strong in different way and different times and for different things, because He is going to accomplish it. FULL STOP.

Oh and by the way.. it did me good to once again look up the Hebrew word “zeal” in that passage. Wow, what a passionate word!

Anyway… it occurred to me a few days later, that God will do in my life what is needed. I have given my life to Him. I am His child, His daughter…His. God will accomplish, not because I am so great, or that He demands it. But because He is pleased to give us the opportunity to love Him back.

So…

You ( the person who is reading this)..yes YOU. What has God given you the opportunity to do?

OOOOOhhhhh… you think you can’t?

Mmm.. let us go back to the “zeal” thing again. It is not up to me to have the strength, the qualifications, the abilities or even the place and time. It is God. It has always been God.

Don’t worry, I haven’t got it all yet either. But here is a scripture to ponder.

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.

He trains my hands for battle;  my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

(Psalm 18:32 and 34) NIV

 

Be blessed as you read His Word.