Strength for the task

I received this devotion in my mail box amd it was truly a blessing.I hope it blesses you too.

Strength For the Task

By Daphne Crause


Nehemiah 2:18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for [this] good [work].

There is something powerful about working together as a single entity to accomplish a task, and building construction is certainly something you cannot accomplish on your own. Nehemiah was about to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem but there was an enormous task ahead of them. It would not be an easy thing to do and the people who were with him knew it. However, just the favorable and motivating words that the king had spoken to them gave them all that they needed to pitch in and do the job.

It is amazing what the kind words of a person can do to motivate and inspire people to do the most amazing things and to push through no matter how daunting the circumstances might be. I have read stories of people who have been injured and were trying to get to some place for help, or others who were needing to reach a certain place on foot and they were wavering and feeling like giving up. Just a few words of encouragement from someone with them though, kept them going inch by inch sometimes, until the goal was reached.

Maybe you are feeling this way about a task that the Lord has desired you to do for Him. Maybe He has given you His plan of action and you have started off on a steady pace, but now you find yourself not on level ground, but climbing a mountain. It is as though you cannot even see the top and you are now half way between the bottom and the top. You are weary, discouraged and feeling like you will simply not be able to make it. What do you do now though, go up or down? Both options are not looking that good.

I want to encourage you that you are not alone. The Lord is with you and He will send people across your path to motivate and assist you in this task. He would say to you now, "Don't be discouraged my child. You are special to me and that is why I have chosen you. Keep going and persevere with it. You may not see any sign of the end result yet, but you are making progress! I am with you. You can lean on me. I am here to help you and to do it with you."

Although you may feel like you are unable and ill-equipped to accomplish what the Lord has given you to do, you need to know that the Lord will never give you something to do that you cannot handle. You may need to undergo a bit of training from the Lord to change and rearrange the way you see and do certain things, and that is not always that pleasant. However, if you keep your eyes on the end goal and end result, it will be worth every minute of any discomfort.

Think of Moses in the backside of the desert when the Lord's call came to him. If there was anyone who felt ill-equipped for the task it was him. He found it difficult to talk boldly and effectively and he was a coward by nature after having fled from Egypt after he slayed the Egyptian. I think he would have much rather stayed where he was than face that change, but the Lord promised to be with him and move in signs and wonders. He also faced a learning curve and training from the Lord when he went back to Egypt, because the Lord said to him in Exodus 4:12:

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall say.

Do you feel despondent and ill-equipped right now? I have good news for you. The Lord is with you in a mighty way and He is encouraging you to keep going with that task. Don't give up, because soon you will reach the crest of the hill and the destination that you have been moving towards. Then you will look back and see the wonderful things that the Lord has done for you and say, "Wow! Look at where I've come from!"

Nothing is impossible to the Lord and nothing is impossible to you, working in tandem with Him!





Like this article? Stumble It!