STRENGTH – What is it? Why does it seem so distant? Thoughts From the Edges.

Strength in the Struggle
Pastor Calvin Cook,
October 21, 2025

Scripture: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord. — Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)

Returning to Isaiah 54 this morning with some thoughts about being Strong. Being strong in the midst of everything is essential. Coming to the realization that we are made strong to help others to become strong in Christ is essential. Isaiah certainly had his share of personal battles and public speculation. But Isaiah was called by God as a Prophet to be strong through his own weakness so that others might be strong as well. Not just a few, or the ones he chose to share God with but with a whole nation. We could look back at Isaiah’s life with a realization that this struggle he faced continues to be a struggle today.

Isaiah was not a man who lived untouched by struggle. He knew what it meant to feel weak, weary, and misunderstood. He carried the heavy burden of God’s message through times of rebellion, resistance, and rejection. Yet through it all, God made Isaiah strong — not by removing his challenges, but by shaping him through them.

When Isaiah wrote of “no weapon formed against you,” he wasn’t speaking from comfort. He was speaking from real life that became conviction — a conviction born in hardship, frustration, and faith refined through fire. The prophet’s life reminds us that strength is not found in the absence of weakness, but in surrendering that weakness to God’s purpose.

God does not waste our pain. Every season of despair, every cry of “why, Lord?” becomes an opportunity for Him to show His strength in our weakness. Like Isaiah, we are not called to avoid the battle, but to stand firm in the promise that no weapon will ultimately prevail.

Isaiah’s life and the way he endured became his testimony. His perseverance under pressure became the very vessel through which God’s truth flowed. His story is not just about surviving trials, but about being transformed through them — so that he could encourage others to stand strong in faith.

And that’s the lesson for us all. We, too, are called to rise from our discouragement and stand as living testimonies of God’s sustaining power. When we feel weak, God is reminding us that His strength is enough. When frustration clouds our vision, His Word will clear the fog. When we feel like giving up, His Spirit whispers, “Stand firm — I am not done with you yet.”

The struggles you are facing, that I am facing may feel like it is time to retreat, may feel like the breaking point but in God’s way and in God’s awesomeness they become building points even moments of redemption. Just as He did for Isaiah, God is shaping your story to strengthen others. So, get over yourself and be the person God is creating and fashioning you to be, for His purpose, for His glory. Your willingness and perseverance may be the very thing that ignites someone else’s faith.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for turning weakness into strength and frustration into faith. Help me to trust You in every struggle, knowing You are using it to make me stronger for Your purpose. Like Isaiah, may my story give courage to others who are weary, so that together we may stand firm in Your unfailing love. Amen.