Strengthen My Spirit

NABRE Psalm 138:3

 On the day I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.

Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash 

Why is this ponderable?

We think of our spirit as being immune to the physical forces that attack our body. Our body can be killed but our spirit will live on. If that is the case, then there are no degrees of strength by which the spirit can be measured. The spirit cannot be diminished or enhanced. So what is David saying here?

Sometimes when our physical powers are diminished and our enemy is winning, God unleashes the spiritual strength in our souls instead of giving the physical help we desire. Yet this answer to our prayers is both Just and Merciful. It is what enabled the martyrs to endure death without fear.  It is the Spirit of God, enabling us to take up our cross without fainting or backsliding. And it cannot be broken by Satan or any evil force.

Paul explains this well in his second letter to the Corintians 12:8-9 He asks God to remove a physical problem but God replies, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That power is the source of all our spiritual strength and it cannot be diminished by any physical problem.