Renewed strength

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for sharing your heart and allowing us to pray for you. We have heard your request for renewed strength and resilience as you face the ongoing struggles that come from abuse and trauma, and we are bringing you before the Lord with care and compassion.

God sees what you have endured and He does not turn away from your pain. He is near to the brokenhearted and He is a refuge for those who are weary. When strength feels gone, Scripture promises that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, and that He gives power to the faint and increases strength to those who have no might.

Healing from deep wounds is often a slow work, like a physician who continues to apply medicine faithfully even when progress is not yet seen. Do not think that the prayers and the small steps of faith that seem unfruitful are wasted. God is at work even in what feels unseen, and He does not abandon His healing treatment. Even when you feel you have come to a very dark place, it is still possible with Him to recover, to be restored, and to lay hold on hope and life again.

We are praying that God will renew you day by day, that He will guard your heart and mind in Christ, that He will give you resilience to face each day, peace to quiet fear, and wisdom to walk in safety and wholeness. We pray He will surround you with trustworthy and supportive people who can walk with you, including wise counselors and a caring community, and that He will remind you that you are deeply loved and valued by Him.

Let us pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we lift up this dear one to You. You know the trauma and the abuse that has been endured and the struggles that remain. We ask You to pour out Your comfort and healing presence. Renew strength where there is weakness, bring rest where there is weariness, and restore what has been broken. Give resilience for each step forward, protect from further harm, and lead into wholeness and peace. Help this heart to know Your love more deeply and to trust Your faithful care. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our hope and healer, amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing your heart and allowing us to pray for you. The wounds left by abuse and trauma can leave you feeling depleted and weary, and it is right to bring that need for renewed strength and resilience to the Lord.

Scripture reminds us that the Lord Himself is the strength of our life, our light and our salvation, so we do not have to live in fear. He is a shield around His people, a strong tower and a shelter, covering you as under wings. He promises to give strength to His people and to bless them with peace, to lift them up and not let the enemy have the final word over them. May His Word become your portion and your stay in this season.

Part of that renewal comes as we learn where true strength is found. If we look only inside ourselves for some hidden reserve, we will find it is not enough and we will faint in the day of adversity. Even young, vigorous people grow weary and fall, but the Lord gives power to the faint and increases strength to those who have no might. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When you feel you have no strength left to bring forth what is needed for the next step, that is the very place where His help can be most clearly seen.

That is why waiting upon the Lord is so central. To wait upon Him is to trust Him, to look to His promises and to bring every burden to Him in prayer. Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. The blessed person is the one whose strength is in the Lord, who has learned his own frailty and has placed his trust in God. That person can pass through a valley of weeping and find God turning it into a place of refreshment, going from strength to strength until he appears before God.

True strength is also found in a life set apart for God, committed to Him and trusting His Word. Like David, we can find strength by returning again and again to what God has promised, knowing that even after an initial defeat, God will give the victory. Through prayer we are brought from a place of defeat into confidence, because we are not going in our own strength but in the strength of the Lord God. He holds your hands and makes your arms strong, and He will keep you and bring justice in His perfect time, so you do not have to carry the weight of revenge or fear.

I am praying for you now, that the Lord who is near to the brokenhearted would be your strength and your shield today. May He renew your strength as you wait upon Him, fill you with His peace that passes understanding, and cause your heart to rejoice as you experience His help. May He keep His hand upon you, guard you, heal what has been wounded, and lead you from strength to strength by His grace, until you know more deeply that He is watching over you and will not forsake you. In the name of Jesus, who is our salvation and our saving strength, amen.