Celtic Daily Prayer

The second feature of Celtic Evening Prayer

Lord, You have always given
strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak,
today I believe.

Have you ever heard or even used the phrase, “give me strength!” This is defined as “something that you say when you find someone else's stupid behaviour or inability to do something annoying.”

But what if that stupidity is done to me?

Throughout the bible we have images of people asking God for strength. From Gideon coming confronted with overwhelming odds, Moses with his speech impediment, to David facing Goliath. And then we find Paul writing to the Corinthians saying “Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians12:8-9

Many of the world’s greatest souls became their best selves not in spite of but because of their distress. The great hymn writer Cowper wrote hopeful hymns and the great artist Van Gogh brushed epic paintings while contemplating suicide. Charles Spurgeon preached some of his best sermons while depressed. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Martin Luther King Jr. battled melancholy. The great composer Beethoven went deaf. C.S. Lewis buried his wife after a short, cancer-ridden marriage. Elie Wiesel and Corrie Ten Boom survived the holocaust. Joni Eareckson Tada lost her ability to walk in a tragic accident. John Perkins endured jail, beatings, and death threats from white supremacists.

Yet each seeming weakness in reality are God’s kingdom points of strength.

Paul says because of his fragility, he will be even more aware and vocal about his weakness in order that God might come in and support him. God’s power perfects our weaknesses, allowing us to do so much more than we could ever do on our own.

That’s why Paul goes on in verse 10, to say, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Lord, in my moments of weakness, give me your grace. When I am tired and weary, give me your strength. When my thoughts swirl with questions and fears, quiet them with your voice. When I am feeling battered by the storm around me, hold me close to your heart. Amen