STRENGTH THROUGH GRACE

STRENGTH THROUGH GRACE
Tuesday, August 29, 2023 by JUDE D'SOUZA

Categories: devotional / GUEST AUTHORS / TUESDAY'S TREASURE

PLEASE WELCOME

JUDE D’SOUZA

TUESDAY’S TREASURE

God provides every grace to a person whom he calls for a purpose (see the promise God gives to Moses in Num 11:16,17).

He strengthens him/her with food. As food is for the body, spiritual food is for the spirit.

I came across a person who felt that he became stronger every time he received communion and was thinking of the reason behind this. A verse flashed across my mind, wherein Elijah is strengthened by food from an angel as the journey lying ahead of him was arduous and great; he needed succor. He had the food of bread and meat for a day, walking with strength from the food for 40 days and nights. (see 1 Kings 19:5-8).

I replied that God had great plans for him and was preparing him with spiritual food for the long journey that was ahead of him. Though many members of that group who heard this were speculative, he said that he perfectly understood what I meant and thanked me for the wisdom.

I also used to feel the same way during my early days of adolescence, after mass. On the journey back home after this greatest sacrifice that we can offer, I used to feel strengthened for a fraction of an hour. The strength, as I understand, was inherently spiritual: an impetus or coaxing to face the trials ahead.

Those days I needed the strength for my body and mind too as it was a period of me having bondages placed by God in my life to later give me an anointing and usher into his plans for my life.

It was a grand and elaborate plan to make me an instrument in his hands for the last days. There was a great value in that suffering that could go well beyond a score of years and it was salvific. I am blessed to have it in my life; a sweet aroma to the Lord.

As St. Paul writes

I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

[Philippians 4:18]

The reason for this spiritual strength intrigued me and later, after many years, the mystery was solved through this Bible passage.

God is Jehovah Jireh, the provider, and he being the author of all graces, can set into motion any parched land or wilderness and make it watered and traversable with roads.

The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

[Isaiah 58:11; 43:19 NIV]

Leave everything in his hands like a child in its father's arms and be rest assured. We have a great caring God to rely on.

ABOUT JUDE D’SOUZA

Jude is the author of the book, Spiritual Truths Revealed and has a calling to be a preacher. He is a Content Writer by profession and writes a blog: www.wordstills.in full of enlightening articles.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jude2sr02

Instagram: https://instagram.com/judeld11

Amazon book link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYJZM3PJ

Share This Blog: