November 7

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness. — Isa 41:10 BSB

God has three ways of helping us. First, He says, "I will strengthen you"—meaning He will make us a little stronger ourselves. Second, He says, "I will help you"—meaning He will add His strength to ours, but we will still lead, and He will support us. And third, He says, "I will uphold you with My righteous right hand"—meaning He will lift us up entirely and carry us. It will no longer be our strength or even His help added to ours, but His complete upholding.

This teaches us that when we come to the end of our strength, we come to the beginning of His. In Him, the weakest become the strongest, and the most helpless are the most helped. He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no strength, He gives even more. His word is always, "My grace is sufficient for you." The answer to our weakness is found in the paradoxical truth: "Therefore, I will gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. For when I am weak, then I am strong."