It is no small trial to be brought low in body and left in solitude, feeling the dizzy faintness of a frame that has been sorely shaken. Yet remember, when there remains no strength in you, nor any ability of any kind or sort, then fling yourself upon the Divine strength and lay hold upon it, and rejoice that if God has said, “they shall,” then assuredly you will! The Lord Himself declares, “I will strengthen them.” Therefore the strength He imparts is fitly infused and wisely balanced. Wonder not if recovery should be slow; as you grow a little stronger, and a little stronger, acknowledge in each increase that the Lord has a new claim on your affection.
You say you are alone. The disciples were scattered, every man to his own, and left their Master alone. Yet He said, “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” So it is with every blood-bought soul. You cannot be alone while the Father is with you. The hour may come, yes, it is now come, when earthly companionship fails; but the presence of Jesus, sealed by the Holy Spirit, is your perpetual portion. May the Lord store you with comfort and strength for this very hour of need.
The weariness of the flesh and the oppression of low spirits call you to wait upon the Lord. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Sometimes a man may renew his strength by taking a little rest, rest in the finished work of Christ, rest in prayer, laying hold upon the Invisible. There, in quiet communion, you will find meat indeed and drink indeed for your soul, even as you seek bodily nourishment. Add to this a re-dedication of yourself to the Lord who bought you; this often helps to renew strength. When a man learns to work with God’s strength, and with that alone, he can do all things.
And what is the ground of all our confidence? The blood, the blood alone, has power to redeem and to sustain. The blood of the covenant gives liberty; when you truly trust in it, it breaks every chain of fear. In prayer, mind that you plead the blood, for that is the way to get the double blessing. Turn away from your feebleness to His strength, from your sinfulness to His blood, the blood of the Covenant which washes black sinners whiter than driven snow. It is not your estimate of that blood that saves; it is the blood itself. When God sees the blood, He passes over. When you, by faith, see that same blood, you may walk in peace, even through the valley of weakness.
This Thursday, when you face the duties of the new school year, you will be tempted to lean upon your own resolve. But flesh and blood cannot accomplish the patient endurance required. Whenever you feel that something is beyond you, stop a moment and breathe a prayer for more strength. He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increases strength. The glory of your strength must lie in God alone. So go forth, not in your own energy, but in the energy which God supplies, trusting that the same grace which brought you through the ER and these weary days will carry you through the days to come.
I commend you to the keeping of Him who is the glory of our strength, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. It cries not for vengeance but for mercy, not for isolation but for fellowship with the Father and the Son. Rest there, dear soul, and rise refreshed.
