By Lisa Wilmore
My Dear Friends,
Many years ago, my late grandmother, Mama Mary, often used to say, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another” when life seemed to throw one challenge after another her way. She was speaking about how the struggles and disappointments in her life seemed to come so fast and close together that she could hardly manage one before another would appear. If you’ve never experienced this, she would always tell me, “Keep living.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand what she meant. But now, as I’ve grown older, I can deeply relate to her words—when one thing lifts you up, another thing can quickly knock you down.
Perhaps you’re feeling this way right now—like the weight of your struggles is more than you can bear. My encouragement to you today is to lean on God’s strength. It is through His strength that we find peace, the ability to move forward, and the joy that comes from knowing our Lord, who reigns in heaven.
Strength, my friends, is found in God’s Word. In the book of Nehemiah, when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after serving as King Nebuchadnezzar’s cupbearer, he found not just broken walls but a broken people. Their hearts were devastated. Yet, through the reading of the law by Ezra, the people were filled with hope. Though they were sorrowful for having strayed so far from God’s ways, Nehemiah encouraged them not to mourn but to celebrate, for the day was holy unto the Lord. Nehemiah told them, “For this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, KJV).
The people in Nehemiah’s time faced serious struggles: insecurity, oppression from within their own ranks, and a lack of resources. Some even had to sell their land, children, and possessions just to survive. In their distress, they could have echoed my grandmother’s saying, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another.” But what they ultimately had to realize, as we must today, is that true strength comes from depending on God and His Word.
So, let us place our trust in Him. Let us seek His strength, knowing that it is in Him we find the peace and endurance we need to face any challenge.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, You are our strength—strength like no other. We come to You today, depending on You to fight the battles in our lives. We confess that we haven’t always trusted You as we should or walked according to Your will. For this, we ask for Your forgiveness. Thank You for being our God, the one true and living God. We honor You, worship You, and depend on You. Lead, protect, and guide us now and forever. We thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
