Problems are like belly buttons. Everyone has them! But how we handle them determines how our stories end up. Resilience turns our stress into a God-story, while letting stress overtake us keeps us stuck in negative emotion, which leads to nowhere significant.
Jesus comments on the inevitability of problems in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He not only addresses the problem, though; He also directs us toward a solution when He says to “take heart.”
Now, I know this command is short and sweet, but it’s not always easy to abide by when our hearts have grown weak. In Romans 8:26-28, Jesus gives us the antidote for our feeble hearts—the Holy Spirit. This passage offers three ways we can allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen us.
The first is through our awareness. Verse 26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
Many times, our stress stems from what we don’t know, and what we can’t make happen for ourselves. This is why we must regularly ask, “What can God’s wisdom mean to this problem?” Then we must seek out that wisdom through Bible reading, prayer, and godly counsel, and consistently apply it to our situation.
Verse 27 addresses reliance. It says, “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
To intercede means to intervene. When stress weakens our hearts, this passage should remind us to let God intervene—to let His wisdom take over and produce the positive outcomes that only He can.
Verse 28 deals with our confidence. It says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
As the saying goes, if it’s not good, God’s not done. Isaiah 43:16 promises God will make a way for us when we can’t see one on our own. But we must live aware of His wisdom, rely on it, and remain confident that He will cause our story to end in good.
What stress has been weighing on your heart this week? I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you, as you live aware of what God can do. Rely on Him and choose confidence in His plan.
I also encourage you to meditate on Deuteronomy 30:11, 14-19 this week, which offers specific choices we can make that will help us live aware, reliant, and confident. It will show us how to view difficulty differently, make God-honoring decisions amidst trial, and trust Him with every consequence.Friends, your tomorrow can be better than your today. So take heart through the help of the Holy Spirit, and watch your greatest stress become God’s great story!
