psalm 138:3

Verse of the Day

Today's Verse

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

PSALM 138:3

Imagine this scenario. You were sick. The disease came out of nowhere. It was totally unexpected; and even worse, it dragged on for months. The doctors couldn’t find the true cause. They couldn’t figure out the proper course of action. At one point, they were ready to give up on you. They kept looking for another doctor that would take the case off their hands. Meanwhile, you had to sit in your hospital bed day after day and endure it all.

Maybe you don’t have to imagine such a thing; but one thing you’ll never have to imagine is the Lord’s strengthening in hard times.

Nevertheless, in sickness you hung on. You refused to give in to despair and unbelief. Somehow, someway, you said to yourself that a solution would be found. Somehow, someway, the Lord would come through.

Or suppose there was at time when you were in financial trouble. Maybe it was your business that turned south. Maybe you got laid off from your job. Whatever it was, the bills began to pile up. The mortgage was in arrears. Your spouse started to get anxious. You began to consider the extreme options: asking relatives for money or bankruptcy.

Even so, you stood firm. You didn’t quit. You never once stopped believing that the Lord would come through for you. You kept on speaking positively about the situation.

Or can you relate to this one? Has there been a time when you were persecuted for your faith? You made no bones about where you stood on the ultimate religious questions. You stood firm on your Christian principles. You thought others would appreciate that, but you were wrong. They thought you were an extremist. They thought you were intolerant.

It hurt, but you held on to your beliefs. You refused to look back. Instead, you looked forward to the next chapter of life. You just went out and found another job, a job where they truly appreciated what you stand for.

In each of these cases (real or imagined), the Lord has given you something that has helped you a great deal. He has given you what our verse for today calls “strength of soul”—the spiritual strength to stand firm, stay faithful, and persevere through the trials, troubles, and persecutions of life. There is no limit to the strength of soul the Lord provides. In each case, He provides the strength needed to stand. Stand on the Rock.

And whenever it gets really hard, He will increase the strength of soul that you need.