Strength and Meekness

Be strong and courageous…for YEHOVAH your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). Moses encouraged the Israelites with these words. They were preparing to take possession of the Promised Land as God had commanded them. The people were strong and courageous because God had promised to go before them and fight for them (Deuteronomy 31:2-3).

Jesus gave His followers an important commandment: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20) Christians can be strong and courageous in fulfilling our mission because Jesus has promised to be with us and enable us.

Our strength comes from the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and prayer.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Jesus directly links fulfilling our mission with the Holy Spirit filling us and enabling us.

The Apostle John states that when the Word of God abides in believers, it gives them strength and allows them to overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14). The Word abides in us when we study it and live according to it – we are doers of the word and not merely hearers (James 1:22).

Paul requested that the church pray for him so that he would “make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20). We likewise must pray that God will enable us. He enables us through His written word, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17) He enables us by the words His Spirit will speak through us “For it is not you who speak(s), but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:20).

Paul encourages us to be strong but to “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). The loving demonstration of strength is the definition of meekness – exercising God’s strength under His control. Jesus described Himself as “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).

He had all the power of God but never used it against His enemies (Matthew 26:53). He had the strength to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins when we were His enemies. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us… while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, (Romans 5:8,10).

Let us be strong courageous and meek in sharing the Gospel.