When You Have Little Strength Left

Verse of the week

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Your limited strength is fully known to the Lord who holds the door open.

Some days, getting to the end of the ordinary responsibilities feels like an accomplishment. You have answered the calls and cared for the person who needs you. There are still things on the list. Someone else seems to be doing twice as much, with energy left over.

Comparison makes weariness harder. We begin to wonder whether a stronger Christian would be handling all of this better. Perhaps God could do more with us if we had more confidence or more to offer. Soon our limitations become the main thing we believe about ourselves.

Jesus knows the church in Philadelphia has little strength. He says so plainly. He also says they have kept his word and have not denied his name. He gives them no rebuke in this letter. The weakness they could feel did not erase the faithfulness he could see.

Before describing them, Jesus describes himself. He is holy and true. He holds the key of David. What he opens, no one can shut. The church’s security rests in the authority of the One speaking to them. They do not have to become powerful enough to control every person who opposes them.

That is a relief when you are tired. Other people may overlook your service or dismiss your faith. Their opinion is not the final word on whether you belong to Christ. He has authority to welcome his people, and he promises them a lasting place with God.

His command is to hold on to what they have. We can make that sound grander than it feels in practice. Sometimes holding on means praying a few honest words when your attention is scattered. It may mean refusing a dishonest shortcut when you wish the work would simply be over. The Lord sees the trust involved in those choices.

He has already given himself for his people. His call to endure comes with his promise that he is coming. Christian hope reaches toward a living Savior who intends to be with us. Our present weakness cannot exhaust his strength or make him forget the people he loves.

Where have you begun treating your limits as proof that you are of little use to God? Bring that judgment to Jesus. Listen again to what he says to Philadelphia. It may help to tell another believer where you are worn down and receive the help you would gladly offer someone else.

Then consider the responsibility nearest to you. You may need rest before you can attend to it well. You may need to ask someone to share it. Neither response requires you to give up on Christ. Ask him for enough strength to keep his word in the circumstances you actually have. He knows how little strength you have left, and he knows the faithfulness that other people never notice.