Funny thing about the biblical commands to “be strong.” They have nothing to do with our strength. In fact, they only make sense when we realize that our strength is insufficient.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:—Isaiah 40:30

The strongest of us are weak, and the sooner we realize that the better. I love the quote by Charles Spurgeon: “When your own emptiness is painfully forced upon your consciousness, chide yourself that you ever dreamed of being full, except in the Lord.”

Once you know you are weak, the commands in Scripture to “be strong” carry encouraging significance. They aren’t a simple, “Hang in there” or “Keep your chin up.” They are the promises of God to give you His strength. For we are commanded, “Be strong in the Lord.”

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.—Ephesians 6:10