Shake the Dust Off
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.—Matthew 10:14 (NIV)
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.—ISAIAH 40:29 (NLT)
He wouldn’t stop crying. I had tried to comfort my infant son for hours. The issue he was having wasn’t an emergency; but it was the weekend, we were between doctors’ visits and there was no way I could explain to him that things were going to get better once the weekday came. Even though I was calm on the outside, on the inside I was upset because the situation was completely out of my control.
Those were some of my roughest times. In fact, the feeling of powerlessness made some days feel darker and hopeless. “How can I still be effective if it seems like I’m not making a difference?” One day, I came across a scripture that reminded me of what I had forgotten.
God gives us power! Even when it may not feel like it, God makes it his mission to give us the power we need in times where we feel our weakest. He gives us strength in situations where we feel as though it is beyond our control. He is our ever-present help when we feel we are our most vulnerable (Psalm 46:1).
With this promise, that feeling of being powerless or weak changes to being empowered and strong. God seeks to give us exactly what we need to be strong at the exact time we need it.
Lord, I need you to give me power and strength in this very moment.
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.—Matthew 10:14 (NIV)
At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.—Psalm 119:62 (KJV)
Worry takes a tremendous amount of energy and often robs us of sleep and joy. Pray for the strength to follow the Lord’s instruction and let go of your fears. Take His words to heart—“Fear not!”—and feel a spark of excitement grow into joy.