Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.

Proverbs 31:21

Be strong. There is an inner strength that passes all understanding because it comes from the Lord and is accompanied with peace. David says in his psalm, “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.”¹

I have been thinking of the persecuted church recently and praying for them to remain strong. Paul tells us to “Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.”

Not only do those being persecuted need physical strength to face whatever they are enduring – beatings, forced labor, solitary confinement – but they need spiritual and emotional strength to stay strong on the inside. They need to keep the fire of love and hope alive in their hearts. They need to keep their mind alert and strong. They need for their inner man to not grow weary in well doing and to be able to do everything as unto the Lord knowing the Lord will reward them – just as Daniel did.

The Lord encourages us to “Lift up our eyes to the mountains; from where shall our help come? Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”³ And He promises, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”⁴

And when it seems as though the persecuted cannot continue forward, we know “Our flesh and our heart may fail, but God is the strength of our heart and our portion forever.”^{5 “}We are well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when we are weak, then we are strong.”⁶

And because we know the Lord never allows us more than He gives us the grace to walk through, we know “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”⁷

Prayer

Lord we lift up the persecuted Believers to You. We ask You to strengthen Your People physically that they might endure to the end. We ask You to strengthen Your People mentally, emotionally and spiritually that love and hope would burn bright in their hearts. Give them the grace to love and forgive even their enemies. And give them the strength to conquer every fear. Let Your Presence be near to them, we pray; comforting them and giving them the grace to persevere through their current trials. We cry out for justice and deliverance for You are a God who sees and hears and delivers. Amen.

Recommendation:

Complete in Christ – Strength with Dignity

References:

¹Psalm 29:11 NASB 1995

²Hebrews 13:3NASB 1995

³Psalm 121:1-2 NASB 1995

⁴1 Peter 5:10 NASB 1995

⁵Psalm 73:26 NASB 1995

⁶2 Corinthians 12:10 NASB 1995

⁷Philippians 4:13 NASB 1995

Resources:

https://www.countryliving.com/life/g31990757/bible-verses-about-strength/

https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-American-Standard-Bible-NASB/

*Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. This week’s Five Minute Friday writing prompt is strong.