Picture I took months ago.
This week has been full of challenges for me. Challenges affect each one of us. But I’m reminded once again of God’s promise of the rainbow which brings protection, restoration, and hope. That promise is God will never leave us or forsake us.
God works best in our weakness because it challenges us to be vulnerable and surrender it all to him so He can provide the strength to face those trials when they occur in life. Every minute and every hour of the day it takes a total surrender on my part to rely on God’s strength to have faith that He will guide me through each challenge life throws at me.
Total surrender is not easy as pride gets in the way. We get caught up in the day or in our work and momentarily take our eyes off Jesus. God forgives us each time if we surrender to Him and ask for his forgiveness as Jesus Christ came, died on the cross, and paid the price for our sins. That is how much God loves you, me, and all of us who sin. Romans 3:23 (NLT) – For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Even though this week was full of daily challenges, God offered a wonderful and very humbling opportunity for me to share my faith and where my hope comes from. I was able to talk about vulnerability and share the worldly view of it is looked upon as a weakness, but rather it should be viewed as one of the greatest strengths God gives us. Because in our weakness in facing a challenge or whatever, we can surrender it all to God as he will provide the strength to persevere and not give up.
You may ask, has the challenge that I faced this week been resolved? No, and I’m not the only one going through this. I’m not alone as I know, and trust God will guide me through it. There will be rough patches and there a lot of unknowns at this time, but I choose to place my hope and faith in God and walk through it. I simply can’t avoid it. We must face challenges or trials head on. We grow from these if we allow God to guide us through them.
I had a choice to make early this week: Do I let this challenge bring me down, or do I face it head on not give up. Tuesday morning, after prayer and reading scripture, an email arrived in my Inbox titled, “The Promise of the Rainbow.” If anyone knows me and have read my blog, rainbows are very special to me. God had already answered my prayer and said, “I will never leave or will not forsake you,” but He also clarified once again with something about a rainbow.
My hope, faith, and trust in God alone means I will not give up the good fight. I will stay strong and steadfast in my love for Him. Even when challenges come, I will try and remember to persevere and trust that He will guide me through them. Today, you and I have a choice. Do we sit on the sidelines and let Satan win, or do we let God fight those battles on our behalf so we can persevere through life to reach the ultimate prize which is eternal life with Jesus Christ? My friend, I pray and hope you choose Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only way to the Father. If you trust that and wait on Him to act, He will guide you through every storm of life throws at you.
Photo shared from Instagram - MOONVIWS
FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG
O Lord, your gracious favor
Is all I ever need,
As Jesus Christ my Savior
Died and paid the price and I have been set free.
Lord, help me to be content,
Especially in my weakness
When Satan comes to torment
Me with all his dirty secrets.
Heavenly Father, your power
Works better when I am weak,
So, after every rain shower
The power of Christ work through me.
After every drop of rain that falls
Sometimes we see a beautiful rainbow,
That represents your promise of protection and hope because,
You will supply every need for all our tomorrows.
Help me to be content that hardships are for Christ’s good,
As you never leave or forsake us and are there all along.
Let the Holy Spirit work through me as it should,
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
My hope in the Lord will renew my strength,
Through each step and every breath.
I will run and not grow weary,
Oh Lord, I place my trust in you as you are my sanctuary.
Below is scripture that supports the poem I wrote and my thoughts in what I shared afterwards.
2 Corinthians 12:9-12 (NLT) – Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT) – He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait upon the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Genesis 9:11-17 (NLT) – I solemnly promise never to send another flood to kill all living creatures and destroy the earth. And God said, “I am giving you a sign as evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with everything that lives. Never again will there be a flood that will destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” Then God said to Noah, “Yes this is a sign of my covenant with all the creatures of the earth.”
What choice are you making in your life when you face challenges? My hope and prayer as always is that you are blessed and encouraged in some way. May God bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and may we all be thankful and grateful to Him to supply all our needs for today and all our tomorrows!
"Surrender" is a daily process and sometimes minute by minute. Thanks for sharing these thoughts today, Anne! All good reminders.
Amen!🙌💛