Devotional: Powerlessness

POWERLESSNESS

He giveth power to the faint,

and to them that have no might

he increaseth strength.

ISAIAH 40:29

Powerlessness…what is powerlessness? It is lacking strength or resources…or lacking the authority or capacity to act.

Sometimes the world defeats us, running right over us on its way to who knows where. Caring for our families may wear us out, struggling to survive financially may create setbacks, while our jobs may physically leave us lacking energy. A person may start to feel like he or she lacks the capability to influence the realities of life out of his or her control…how others may act towards him or her, if he or she will get a job, or how he or she will get himself or herself out of a financial situation.

I want to think of powerlessness like a disease…it attacks us in some sort of way, grabs onto us, and spreads throughout us. You may start to feel like you can’t control something going on with you or someone else…it may be a lack of ability to make others exactly what you want them to be, to change past events which have had a negative impact in your current life, to insure that all of your dreams and fantasies for the way you want life to be will come true in reality, or to completely change things you have attempted repeatedly to change with no success. Sometimes, these things we have no power to change and, yes, sometimes it may make us angry.

Don’t let the state of feeling (and I say “feeling” and not “being” because we are NEVER powerless with the Lord on our side) powerless get the best of you. If you do, it will cause your life to become unmanageable.

If you find yourself battling powerlessness, ask the Lord to please increase your inner strength. Although you may seem powerless, the Lord’s power knows no limits, and He will provide whatever you need to see you through your current crisis.