“Where To Find Strength When You Feel Weak” by Amy Carroll

In today’s episode, you’ll hear a devotion written by Amy Carroll based on Nehemiah 8:10, which says, “Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength’” (NIV).

We hope today’s devotion encourages you that during your seasons of weakness, you can find strength in God’s Word, in joy and in community. 

Related Resources: 

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• If you're feeling weak today and need strength from God's Word — but aren't sure where to start — download our free resource, "My Quiet Time Isn't Cutting It: 30 Refreshing Ways To Spend Time With God." With this resource, learn how to invite God into every area of your life so He can provide the strength and healing you so desperately need. 
• Click here to read the transcript for this episode.

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What is Encouragement for Today Podcast?

Life can be so challenging sometimes — we each understand this all too well. It’s not only the big things that seem out of our control, but it's also the little things we face each day. We forget our keys. A friend cancels on us. Our bank card gets declined. We wake up anxious. Negative thoughts fill our mind. It doesn’t take much to leave us feeling hopeless, confused, exhausted or stressed. We wonder what God has to say about what we’re experiencing, but sometimes just getting through the next few hours is hard enough. That’s why Proverbs 31 Ministries created the Encouragement For Today Podcast — a collection of 50 devotions to help you start your day with a biblical perspective you can carry with you no matter what lies ahead.

The week after my youngest son’s wedding, I walked around in a post-matrimonial fog. Months of planning were over. The celebration occurred, exceeding every expectation, and my relatives returned home.
I should have been relieved, but instead, I felt weak and weepy. Have you ever been there?

You got the promotion, and now you’re standing at the bottom of a steep learning curve.

The baby’s born, and the sleepless nights stretch endlessly before you.

The house is empty or the job complete, and the season of shifting into a new, unknown role is upon you.
It turns out that life’s completions and celebrations often have the unexpected challenge of weakness on the other side. What’s true for God’s daughters today was also true for His people thousands of years ago.
Our post-celebration emotions are similar to the Israelites in Nehemiah 8. Their hope-filled plans of returning home from exile were accomplished. The rebuilding of Jerusalem began, and then the realities of everyday life set in. Chapter after chapter, Nehemiah recounts the labor, the opposition and the conflict.
Finally, the work on the wall of Jerusalem was done, and the Israelites were released to settle in their own towns. Soon after, however, their leaders called an assembly. Scripture doesn’t tell us why Ezra and Nehemiah decided to convene the people, but because we’re human, we can speculate about their frailty.
When God’s people are weak from the work, He strengthens them.

Nehemiah 8 tells the story. Ezra reads the Book of the Law of Moses, God’s Word to His people, and they respond with appropriate weeping and repentance. But in a beautiful move, the leaders call the people out of weakness and mourning into a new season of celebration and strength.

“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength’” (Nehemiah 8:10).

From this story, there are three amazing lessons we can learn to gain strength in our own seasons of weakness.

Strength Comes from God’s Word
God’s Word is always where provision and healing begin. Need peace? It’s found in God’s Word. Require rest? It’s there too. Crave a change of heart? There’s nothing as powerful as God’s truth to accomplish it.
Interacting with God’s Word always results in strength because He reveals Himself and meets our needs there.

Strength Comes from Joy
God is the faithful source of everything, and true joy always flows from having a relationship with Him. While despair drains us, joy fills and strengthens us.

Strength Comes from Community
When I close my eyes and picture the scene in Nehemiah 8, a sea of God’s people stands before me. There are men, women and children. There are leaders and citizens. There are Levites and laypeople. No matter their gender, age or station, they had one purpose — glorifying God by living as His chosen people.
The saying is true. There is strength in numbers.

Seasons of celebration are often followed by fatigue, but our strong God is always there to pick us up. His Word, the joy of His Spirit and the community He’s built around us strengthen and help us back into the life to which He’s called us.

Lord, in seasons of weakness I will turn to Your Word, Your joy and Your community as sources of strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.