"He Will Make You Strong" -How?

 "[Jehovah] will make you firm, he will make you strong, he will firmly ground you." -1 PETER 5:10. 

GOD'S WORD often describes faithful men as powerful. But even the strongest among them did not always feel strong. For example, on some occasions King David felt that he was "as strong as a mountain," but on other occasions he "became terrified." (Psalm 30:7) Although Samson was exceptionally powerful when he was moved by G0d's spirit, he recognized that without the power that comes from God, he would "grow weak and become like all other men." (Judges 14:5, 6;16:17) These faithful men were strong only because Jehovah gave them power.

The apostle Paul acknowledge that he too needed power from Jehovah. (2 Corinthian 12:9, 10) Like many of us, Paul contended with health problems. (Galatians 4:13, 14) At times, he also struggled to do the right thing. (Romans 7:18, 19) And sometimes he felt anxious and uncertain.  (2 Corinthians 1:8, 9) Yet, when Paul was weak he became powerful. How? Jehovah gave Paul the power he lacked. He made Paul strong. 

Jehovah promises to make us strong too. (1 Peter 5:10) But we cannot expect to receive that power without making any effort on our part.  To illustrate, an engine can power a car to move forward. However, a driver must press the accelerator in order to go anywhere.  Similarly, Jehovah is ready to give us the power we need, but we must take steps to benefit from it. What has Jehovah provided to make us strong? And what do we need to do in order to receive that power? We will learn the answers to those questions by considering how Jehovah strengthened three Bible characters-the prophet Jonah, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the apostle Paul. We will see how Jehovah continues to strengthen his servants today in similar ways. 

Next time: GAIN STRENGTH FROM PRAYER AND STUDY

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