Finding Strength in God When You Feel Weak and Worn Out

This post is part of the “Walking with God Through Life’s Hard Seasons” series. Today, we look at how God’s strength meets us in our weakness, giving us the endurance to keep going when we feel worn out.

Familiar to women these days is the feeling of an overfilled plate. Stretching time from one thing to another can become taut like a rubber band and every inch of your body feels the pinch.

Instead of feeling strong and ready for anything, you feel weak and worn out. Of course, there will always be times of tiredness, but an underlying strength from God can help you overcome the weariness.

Paul was very much aware of weariness. The Lord had allowed what Paul called a “thorn in the flesh”. No one is sure about what it was, but we know Paul wanted the Lord to remove it.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NIV “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This situation created weakness in Paul’s life. He wanted to be rid of it, but the Lord told him he would be strengthened in the weakness by His sufficient grace.

Paul said that if that were the case, he would rather boast in the weakness so He could know the power of Christ.

Here are some points for discussion to claim Jesus’ strength in your weakness:

• Why Do We Feel Weak?
• Jesus Understands Our Weakness
• The Holy Spirit Help Us When We Pray
• God’s Role in Our Weakness
• Conclusion

Why Do We Feel Weak?

God Knows Your Frame

2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

You were not created to do everything by yourself. You are like a fragile jar of clay; you do not have the resources that God has. Realizing this, you are more apt to look to God for your strength. His power is a treasure within us.

Your weakness is to draw you to the source of real power in God. Think about how strong you can be in Him.

God Wants to Give You Strength

Psalm 130: 13-14 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

The Lord loves us and has compassion for our situations. He understands how weak you are and wants to help in your trials with joy and comfort.

The longer you try to work it out yourself, the more stress is involved. Sometimes, you don’t realize that you are trying to control it.

That’s a good time to stop, take a deep breath, and talk to the Lord. He is waiting.

Jesus Understands Our Weakness

Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Jesus Christ is your high priest. He is your mediator before God and intercedes for you.

What makes that so extraordinary is that Jesus Christ, though God, has experienced life. He walked this earth, was persecuted and finally put to death. He knows all about pain and trials of life.

When you go to Him, He truly understands and yet knows how to help. When you think of your pain, know He has experienced it too.

The Holy Spirit Help Us When We Pray

Romans 8:26-27 NIV “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

In our pain, words can be hard to come by, at least those you feel are important. It doesn’t matter; the Holy Spirit takes your gobbled words and transforms them into a beautiful appeal to God.

God searches your heart and knows the mind of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit only intercedes according to the will of God.

What a privilege we have to have access to God the Holy Spirit, for without Him, we could not do the works of God.

The Role of God in Your Weakness

Upholds You With His Right Hand

Psalm 63:7-8 NIV “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”

I love this verse and use it often. When I feel weak, it sustains me because it reminds me of God’s strength and how I feel under the shadow of His wings.

God’s right hand is a symbol of His protection, strength, and righteousness. He holds you up in your trials and restores peace.

God is Your Portion

Psalm 16:5 NIV “LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.”

We think of a portion as serving of food. In the Bible, it’s talking about an inheritance from God, a portion of land.

David says in this verse, God’s presence is his portion and he is secure because of it.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we should place our security in Him. Momentary treasures of earth are not where you should be putting your true security.

God is Your Rock

Psalm 18:2 NIV “He the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

When I think of rocks as a fortress, I remember cowboy shows on TV from my childhood. Either the “good guys” or the “Bad” ran for the rocks, especially on the plains. Why? They were better protected.

Rocks are almost impenetrable, strong, and steady. If a rock is that way, how much more does God meet that definition?

Our thinking can become warped. How do we think we can do stronger than God?

Conclusion

You do not have to be weary. God is there to reinforce you with His strength. You were not meant to carry it alone. You can rest in Him.

Matthew 11:29-30 NIV “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When you feel weak and worn out, remember God is strong in your weakness.

• He upholds you with His Right Hand-He has the power to help you.
• He is your Portion-He is secure.
• He is your Rock-He is impenetrable, steady, and strong.

He is ready to strengthen you.