Originally published Monday, 22 July 2013.
He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Isaiah 40:29 (NKJV)
“I’m fine,” I tell my friend when she asks how I am.
“Really? You’re going through a lot with your husband being in hospital so I just want to check how you are.”
“Honestly, I’m good. I know there’s lots of crazy stuff going on but I’m not falling apart. I get stressed some days but on the whole I’m fine. Just fine. Not bad, not good, just fine.”
I’ve had a version of this conversation with countless people over the past month or so while my husband has been undergoing a stem cell transplant.
Each time the other person ends up saying something like, “You’re so strong. I don’t know how you do it.
There is only one answer to that: Jesus is stronger than Chuck Norris. (tweet this)
You might think that Chuck Norris is stronger than Jesus (after all there is a lot of hype out there about him) but if I had to chose which one I wanted on my team in tough times, it would be Jesus.
There is one thing Jesus can do that Chuck Norris can’t: Jesus can give strength to those who are feeling weak.
Jesus doesn’t just fight for us; he gives power to those who have no strength.
No matter how strong Chuck Norris is he can’t take my weariness and turn it into strength. And right now through all this hard stuff I’m leaning hard on Jesus, on the strength he gives.
Jesus is my crutch and my hope.
Jesus holds me up when I’d rather curl up in a ball and rock myself to sleep.
Jesus makes me smile when I feel like frowning.
When I feel alone, Jesus reminds me that he’s still there with me.
I don’t what I’d be like if I didn’t have Jesus, I can’t imagine how I would have survived the last 18 months without him.
My husband has not been healed of cancer or protected from a second round of high dose chemo but Jesus hasn’t left our side - and he never will - and that is what makes me able to answer my friends questions with, “I’m fine.”
Even on the days when I don’t feel Jesus close I know that he is because he’s promised to always be there.
God’s promised to give strength to the weary and change mourning into dancing – and he does.
Somehow each day God shows up with new mercy, with enough strength for the next 24 hours.
Having Jesus by your side doesn’t mean that nothing bad happens. Or that you have to be happy all the time, it just means that whatever comes your way you don’t have to go through anything alone and you don’t have to rely on your strength.
When Jesus is present you don’t have to rely on your own strength because you can lean into his. (tweet this)
Which makes Jesus stronger than Chuck Norris in my eyes.
Ponder: What are you going through in your life right now that you need to rely on God’s strength to get through?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I need you to hold me because I can’t go through this on my own. Give me strength when I’m weary, joy when I’m mourning and hope when I feel only despair. Amen.
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