When you speak of strength you really have to be specific. We often speak of physical strength and spiritual strength using the same words. How do you define strength? Someone has defined strength in this way: "Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands and then eat just one piece."

That is a humorous definition because so few people have that kind of strength. However, what most people really want is the strength to live and deal with the problems "daily living" brings to us. Of course, we all know that the only way to receive this strength is to give up our lives for God. It comes when we finally understand that we are only living a temporary life here that DOES NOT LAST. Our strength comes from the Lord when we stop trying to fight our battles on our own, and then allow God to lift us up and protect us.

When is the last time you really turned your life over to God? When is the last time you cried out to him and said, "I can't do it on my own, I need your strength!"? King David knew the secret of finding strength in the Lord. He wrote, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2).

The great servant of God, Isaiah wrote, "Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength" (Isaiah 26:4 KJV). A modern translation puts it this way: "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, is the Rock eternal" (NLT).

When we can do that, we are like the house that withstood the storm Jesus talked about in his famous parable (Matthew 7:24-27). We are grounded and built upon God as the "firm foundation" of our lives.

David put it this way: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song" (Psalm 28:7 NIV). When is the last time you burst into song because of the Lord's blessings in your life or in realization that the Lord of the universe cares for you? You can do it anywhere at any time, I started singing praise songs this morning on my drive to work. Why? It just felt like it, I wanted to praise God!

Do you want more strength?
I know that concept may be a little foreign to you right now — you may not feel much like singing. You may have the weight of many problems on your heart. However, as the wisdom of the old folk proverb says, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." You may not feel much like dancing either, but how about trying to sing a hymn of praise or worship to God? No one has to hear you except the One who counts the most, our Heavenly Father.

You may look at all these great people of faith we've quoted and want to say, "I wish I could be more like them — I want to have their faith and their strength!" But believe me, the lives of others are not at all what they appear on the outside. Each of God's great servants had to struggle with some issue, problem, or challenge that we wouldn't wish on someone else. The secret of these servants, however, is that they do a good job of either hiding their problems or turning them over to God.

Do you want more strength? It comes only when you exercise. This is especially true when we are talking about spiritual strength. So isn't it time you start to exercise that faith more by trusting to God and letting His strength lift you up! Praise, song, and thanks help us do that! Let's let our strength be found in the Lord!